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ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION 



ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION 



VOCAL AND PHYSICAL 



REV. PHILIP WILLIAMS, O. S. B. 

M 



FORMER PROFESSOR OF ELOCUTION 



AT 



St. Benedict's College, Atchison, Kansas. 



And they read in the book of the law of God 
distinctly and plainly to be understood ; and 
they understood when it was read. 

II. Esdras, VIII, 8. 



THIRD REVISED EDITION 



ABBEY STUDENT PRESS 

ST. BENEDICT'S COLLEGE, ATCHISON, KANSAS. 

1913 



-m*^ 



o 



Copyright 1913 
by St. Benedict's College 



0CU351827 



- 






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To 

THE STUDENTS 

OF ST. BENEDICT'S COLLEGE 

WHOSE INTEREST IN THE SCIENCE AND ART OF EXPRESSION 

HAS ENCOURAGED US IN OUR LABOR, AND TO 

ALL STUDENTS OF ELOCUTION, WE 

RESPECTFULLY DEDICATE 

THIS VOLUME. 



PREFACE 

A third edition of "Elements of Expression" is herewith 
presented to the public. The book has been carefully re- 
vised as to its teachings, to make it abreast of all works on the 
art; and we even hope somewhat superior for Catholic schools, 
to other w 7 orks on elocution. 

"Elements of Expression" is not intended as a self- 
instructor in elocution. We doubt if there is any elocution 
book published that can be truthfully called a self-instruct- 
or. It is intended for those who wish a course in oratory. 
Therefore there will be found in the book no trivialities, 
none of those foibles of so-called elocution, such as dialect 
pieces, comic recitations, humoresques, etc. Our work 
is for a higher purpose, and so we have entirely disregarded 
this class of speaking. We flatter ourselves that the student 
preparing himself for a serious vocation in a college or an 
academy, will find this book well suited to his needs. 

The selections are air from good writers and are teem- 
ing with that interest that will arouse the emotions and start 
the genuine fires of oratory to blazing brightly. We have 
added, in this edition, all of those genuine favorites that have 
been making speakers of the young for many years. Many 
of these are from Catholic sources, and all are from repu- 
table literary authors. This judicious selection we claim 
as an added feature of the book. The tenderest conscience 



will find naught to harm it and much to esteem. Clean and 
classic, it can go into any hands without harm. 

It has been our object to retain only essential theory, 
to make a book that will help the earnest student of oratory, 
and to give copious examples for practice. We have chosen 
only the best of literature, mindful that it should all 

"To one of these four ends conduce: 
For wisdom, piety, delight, or use." 

Each of these four has many select representatives 
throughout the volume. We hope to create a craving for 
more reading of the authors from whom we quote. Only 
selections recommended by intrinsic worth should be 
memorized. Students should be required to seek additional 
examples from other sources. The book would be too bulky 
for class use did it contain more selections. 

Concert drills are recommended for economizing time 
and labor. In this way, each student will receive some 
practice every class hour. It is only by much practice 
that skill may be acquired in an art. Let the professor 
dictate some selection, show the correct interpretation 
of it, the proper inflexions, the emphasis necessary, and the 
gestures appropriate. Then let him spend a part of each 
class hour, putting the whole class through a drill on the 
piece. 

Another genuine help to the student is to enter him and 
interest him in amateur theatricals. It is a great help in 
attaining ease before an audience, as also for developing 
the emotions. 

Persist in mastering each selection thoroughly. Have 
members of the class criticise each other. It makes speaker 
and hearer attentive, and a healthy rivalry soon starts that 
will do the class good. 



If the principles here laid down further the power and 
elegance of human speech, kindle the fires of eloquence 
slumbering in many a youthful bosom, give to college grad- 
uates a trustworthy vehicle to convey truth and a strong 
weapon to defend right, our hopes will be realized. 

August 16th, 1912. 

THE AUTHOR. 



CONTENTS 

Preface vn 

Chapter I. — Breathing , i 

Breathing Exercises 3 

Chapter II. — Action 10 

Position 13 

Attitude 16 

Chapter III. — Articulation 25 

Elementary Sounds 26 

Consonant Sounds 27 

Exemplification of Vowel-Quality 28 

Difficult Combinations 45 

Correct Pronunciation 51 

Chapter IV. — Gesture 54 

Delsarte's Definition 54 

Relaxation 55 

Exercises in Relaxation 56 

Chapter V. — Force 59 

Forms of Force 60 

Degrees of Force 64 

Application of Force 70 

Chapter VI. — Delsarte's Laws op Gesture 75 

Chapter VII. — Pitch 79 

Division of Pitch 79 

Uses of Each Division 80 

Chapter VIII. — Inflexion 88 

Rules for Rising Inflexion 88 

Rules for Falling Inflexion 90 

Rules for Circumflex Inflexion 90 

Chapter IX. — Quality 98 

Kinds of Quality 100 



Pure Tone ioo 

The Orotund 106 

The Aspirate 109 

The Guttural 112 

The Pectoral 114 

The Falsetto 116 

Chapter X. — Planes of Gesture 122 

Scale of Notation 122 

Significance of Various Planes 123 

Chapter XI. — Emphasis 152 

Difference between Emphasis and Accent 152 

Rules underlying Emphasis 155 

Modes of Emphasis 158 

Observations 164 

Unemphatic Words 167 

Climax 167 

.Chapter XII. — Gesture of Different Members 171 

The Head 171 

The Eyes 174 

The Mouth 176 

Chapter XIII. — Pause 178 

Influence of the Pause 178 

Rules for Pausing 180 

Chapter XIV. — Poetic Reading 188 

Various Feet 190 

Poetic Pauses . . . 193 

Chapter XV. — Personation . . . \ 199 

Rules for Personation 199 

Chapter XVI. — Tone Color 206 

What it Embraces 207 

What it is Due to 208 

Selections 217-314 

Alphabetical Index 315 

Index to Selections .317 



CHAPTER I. 



Breatbing 

Although it may seem strange, nay, unnatural, that 
Breathing — that which everyone practices uninterruptedly 

— that which was the beginning of life, and is its continuity, 

— must be studied ; still, there are certain canons which 
govern respiration for vocal ends, the observance of which 
is not arbitrary. 

The unstudied breathing by which life is sustained is 
insufficient for vocalization. Voice is the result of an air- 
shock on the vocal ligaments. The amount of air that we 
unconsciously inhale for the support of life, answers ad- 
mirably its specific purpose, but is inadequate for speaking. 

Manifestly, therefore, if we desire to use our voice, we 
must learn to breathe more copiously. 

Breathing consists of Inspiration and Expiration. 
Both are arts; both must be acquired. 

A speaker who has not learnt to inhale correctly will 
never possess a rich, substantial voice. One that has 
mastered inhalation but neglects expiration, will soon find 
his breath-expenditure greater than his receipts, and will 
early end his career as a speaker with a ruined, banknipt 
voice. We must have an income, or the outcome will be 

— inevitable failure. 

We can never afford to run out of breath when we are 
speaking, for then, silence will ensue, painful alike to speaker 
and hearer. Among the various methods of breathing the 



2 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

one recommended most by good results is this: " First, feel 
that the diaphragm-region — the waist — expands. This 
expansion is caused by the downward contraction of the 
diaphragm. Secondly, at the same time feel an incipient 
expansion of the whole trunk-region, from the lowest point 
of the abdomen to the highest point of the chest and collar- 
bone. This Expansion is felt in the entire circumference 
of the trunk, as a complete oneness of action, not in sections 
or broken. Thirdly, whether the amount of breath taken 
be great or small, whether a half or a full expansion be re- 
quired, it must always be done with the combined breathing- 
apparatus and with oneness of action. The difference 
between half and full, long and short breaths, is not in 
method, but in time and the amount of expansion. This 
is the only correct, natural, healthy way of breathing, for 
by this method the w T hole of the lungs is used and venti- 
lated and thus kept healthy. "(Leo Kofler) 

It is obvious, from the above, that diaphragmatic, or 
abdominal breathing, is the proper method. The diaphragm 
must control the breath, otherwise the unreined air will 
rush to the throat, and, in its hurry to gain freedom, will 
make the tones "breathy," or if the throat endeavors to 
control the efflux of the air, the effort will necessarily stif- 
fen the muscles of the throat, and "throaty" tones will 
be the result. Each one may experience this by trying 
the following exercise. 

Take a few heavy inspirations as you would when nearly 
spent with running : note the effect on the diaphragm. You 
will observe it pulsates; now, if, while taking one of the 
rapid gulps of air, you stop quickly, you will feel the dia- 
phragm grasp the air to check its exit. Never allow the 
throat to share this office with the diaphragm — for the 
diaphragm has been assigned this office by nature, and 
nature never permits an infraction of her laws to go un- 
punished. 

Unless the breath is under perfect control, pure tone 



Breathing. 3 

is an impossibility; for in its production all the air that 
is liberated must be converted into sound. 

The nose is the medium of inspiration. Avoid the 
pernicious inversion, of which too many are guilty, of using 
the nostrils as channels to convey your sentiments to long- 
suffering audiences, and the mouth to convey air and dust 
to short-enduring organs. An All-wise Providence has 
so arranged the nose that it warms and " filters' ' the air 
before it reaches the more delicate organs. Whereas, the 
mouth, not being intended for inspiration, carries the cold 
air directly to the delicate membrane, thereby causing 
hoarseness, and eventually serious throat and lung-ailments. 

Inspiration and Pausing in speaking go hand in hand; 
neither should be indulged where they interfere with the 
sense of the phrase. Nevertheless, never make any effort 
to sustain a tone, or complete a sentence, when the air 
in the lungs is well-nigh exhausted. Always stop at the 
approach of fatigue. 

Let the student practice the following exercises with 
due moderation; as enthusiastic disciples, by violent practice, 
might overtax the respiratory muscles and do themselves 
irreparable injuries. 

EXERCISE! 

Stand erect, shoulders back and down — in which po- 
sition they should remain during the whole exercise — -fill 
the lungs comfortably by very short inhalations and then 
quickly empty them in one blast. 

EXERCISE II. 
Fill the lungs with one energetic draught, then emit 
the air in jets. 

EXERCISE III. 

Inhale and utter a and a, alternately. Employ half 
the breath on a , the other half on a . Pronounce a high and 
forcible, a low and subdued. 



4 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

EXERCISE IV. 

Inhale deeply, prepare the lips as you would say "who," 
then exhaust the lungs with puffs. 

EXERCISE V. 

Place thumbs on costal, fingers on abdominal muscles, 
bending profoundly forward empty the lungs; in assuming 
erect position, inhale vigorously, retain the air-supply a 
few moments, then expel it vocally, with abdominal impulses, 
in form of uh. uh, uh. 

EXERCISE VI. 

Repeat directions of the preceding number and use 
the air in alternating uh, a h, in aspirate and pure tones. 

EXERCISE VII. 

Assume an erect attitude, heels together, toes turned 
outward from 45 to 90 degrees apart. This is the "military 
position/' With hands lightly pressed on the chest, fill the 
lungs gently and emit the air in a lustrous prolongation of 
the syllable sil. 

EXERCISE VIII. 

Take preceding position, inspire energetically, run the 
speaking gamut upward, employing the word "up," in- 
creasing gradatim the tone's intensity. 

EXERCISE IX. 

Vary the preceding exercise by running the speaking 
gamut downward, using the word "down," gradually 
decreasing the force. 

EXERCISE X. 

Repeat No. VIII., accompanying the raise for each 
tone with a corresponding movement of each arm and 
wrist, so that, when the rounding note of the octave is 
reached, the arms be extended upward to their utmost. 



Breathing. 5 

E X E R C I S E XI. 

Leaving the arms extended as No. X. required, repeat 
No. IX., and, with each descension in tone, lower the arms 
with a gentle wave of the wrist, so that, on the concluding 
"down," the arms reach the sides. 

EXERCISE XII. 

Take position as indicated in No. VII., inspire deep- 
ly, tap the chest gently with the finger-tips in order to 
drive the air into all the lung-cells, then, let the air escape 
in a sound showing weariness, as a - uh. 

EXERCISE XIII. 

Observe the preliminaries of No. V.; when the lungs 
are well inflated, expend the air with explosive force on the 
sentence, 

"Arise, ye more than dead!" {Dry den) 
(or) "Rise, O Sun of Justice, rise!" {Rev. James Kent Stone) 

EXERCISE XIV. 

Comply with the injunctions of No. VII.; when the 
lungs are well expanded, summon your brightest smile 
and laugh out the vowels T, e,e, a, a, o, o, o, u, u, u, in a 

low tone; occasionally introduce an open vowel. 

This exercise is characteristically adapted to strengthen 
the throat, invigorate and make more elastic the vocal 
ligaments, deepen and mellow the voice. 

EXERCISE XV. 

Inflate the lungs fully, utter o, a , ou, in a soft, pure tone; 
continue until the air supply is nearly consumed, then pro- 
long the sound of o, gradually merging it into 00, and di- 
minishing the force as the air-supply lessens, until, with the 
last thin current, sound weds itself to silence. 

(A breathing exercise should introduce every elocution hour.) 



Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 



EXAMPLES 
where copious Breathing is required 

Oh, perverse children of men, who refuse truth when offered you, 
because it is not truer! Oh, restless hearts and fastidious intellects, 
who seek a gospel more salutary than the Redeemer's, and a creation 
more perfect than the Creator's! God, forsooth, is not great enough 
for you; you have those high aspirations and those philosophical notions, 
inspired by the original Tempter, which are content with nothing 
that is, which determine that the Most High is too little for your wor- 
ship, and His attributes too narrow for your love. Satan fell by pride: 
and what was said of old as if of him, may surely now, by way of warn- 
ing, be applied to all who copy him: 'Because thy heart is lifted up, 

and thou hast said, I am God, and I sit in the chair of God, 

whereas thou art a man and not God, and hast set thy heart as if it 

were the heart of God, therefore I will bring thee to nothing, 

and thou shalt not be, and if thou be sought for, thou shalt not be 
found any more forever.' {Newman) 



poUofc'6 ©cean Hpostropbe 

Great Ocean ! strongest of creation 's sons ! 

Unconquerable, unreposed, untired ; 

That roll'd the wild, profound, eternal bass, 

In Nature's anthem, and made music, such 

As pleased the ear of God. Original, 

Unmarr'd, unfaded work of Deity; 

And unburlesqued by mortal's puny skill. 

From age to age enduring and unchanged: 

Majestical, inimitable, vast, 

Loud uttering satire day and night on each 

Succeeding race, and little pompous work 

Of man. Unf alien, religious, holy sea! 

Thou bow'dst thy glorious head to none, fear'dst none, 

Heardst none, to none didst honor, but to God 

Thy maker — only worthy to receive 

Thy great obeisance. {Robert Pollok) 



Breathing. 7 

"St. Paul was a vessel of election to bear the good odor of Christ 
into the palaces of kings! A torrent of eloquence flowing into the 
barren fields of a vain philosophy, to fertilize and adorn! A rich 
exhibition of virtue, winning by its beauty, attracting by its symmetry, 
and exciting to activity by emulation! A glowing meteor of bene- 
diction, dissipating the clouds, and warming the hearts of the be- 
holders to charity on earth, that they might be fitted for glory in 
heaven! {Bishop England) 



Iking Xear's IReproacbes 

You heavens, give me that patience, patience I need! 

You see me here, }^ou gods, a poor old man, 

As full of grief as age: wretched in both! 

If it be you that stir these daughters' hearts 

Against their father, fool me not so much 

To bear it tamely; touch me with noble anger! 

O, let not women's weapons, water-drops, 

Stain my man 's cheeks ! — No, you unnatural hags, 

I will have such revenges on you both, 

That all the world shall — I will do such things, — 

What they are, yet I know not; but they shall be 

The terrors of the earth. You think I'll weep; 

No, I'll not weep: — 

I have full cause of weeping: but this heart 

Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws, 

Or ere I'll weep: — O, fool, I shall go mad! (Shakespeare) 



From Zbc Collegians 

In the meantime Hardress, full of horror at the supposed catastrophe, 
had hurried to his sleeping room, where he flung himself upon the bed, 
and sought, but found not relief in exclamations of terror, and of 
agony. "What!" he muttered through his clenched teeth, "shall 
my hands be always bloody? Can I not move but death must dog 
my steps? Must I only breathe to suffer and destroy?" 

A low and broken moan, uttered near his bed-side, made him start 
with a superstitious apprehension. He looked round and beheld his 
mother kneeling at a chair, her face pale, excepting the eyes, which 
were inflamed with tears. Her hands were wreathed together, as 



8 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

if with a straining exertion, and sobs came thick and fast upon her 
breath, in spite of all her efforts to restrain them. In a few minutes, 
while he remained gazing on her in some perplexity, she arose, and, 
standing by his bed-side, laid her hand quietly upon his head. 

{Gerald Griffin) 

ffrancois' Speecb to IRicbelieu 

Hastening from the house, 

My footstep in the stirrup, Marion stole 

Across the threshold, whispering, "Lose no moment 

Ere Richelieu have the packet: tell him, too, 

Murder is in the winds of night, and Orleans 

Swears, ere the dawn the Cardinal shall be clay." 

She said, and trembling fled within: when lo! 

A hand of iron griped me! Thro' the dark, 

Gleamed the dim shadow of an armed man: 

Ere I could draw, the prize was wrested from me, 

And a hoarse voice gasped, — "Spy, I spare thee, for 

This steel is virgin to thy lord!" — with that 

He vanished. — Scared and trembling for thy safety, 

I mounted, fled, and kneeling at thy feet, 

Implore thee to acquit my faith; but not, 

Like him, to spare my life. (Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton) 



Hpostropbe to Sleep 

Sleep, gentle sleep, 
Nature's soft nurse, how have I frighted thee, 
That thou no more wilt weigh my eyelids down, 
And steep my senses in forgetfulness? 
Why rather, sleep, liest thou in smoky cribs, 
Upon uneasy pallets stretching thee, 
And hush'd with buzzing night-flies to thy slumber, 
Than in the perfumed chambers of the great, 
Under the canopies of costly state, 
And lull'd with sounds of sweetest melody? 
O thou dull god, why liest thou with the vile 
In loathsome beds; and leav'st the kingly couch, 
A watch-case, or a common 'larum bell? 
Wilt thou upon the high and giddy mast 
Seal up the ship-boy's eyes, and rock his brains 



Breathing. 

In cradle of the rude imperious surge; 

And in the visitation of the winds, 

Who take the ruffian billows by the top, 

Curling their monstrous heads, and hanging them 

With deaf'ning clamors in the slippery clouds, 

That with the hurly, death itself awakes? 

Canst thou, O partial sleep! give thy repose 

To the wet sea-boy in an hour so rude; 

And, in the calmest and most stillest night, 

With all appliances and means to boot, 

Deny it to a king? Then, happy low, lie down! 

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. (Shakespeare) 



m 



CHAPTER II. 



Hction 

By Action we understand that part of Elocution which 

speaks to the eye. 

Cicero, perhaps the greatest orator that ever lived, 
says on this subject: "It is of little consequence that you 
prepare what is to be spoken, unless you are able to deliver 
your speech with freedom and grace. Nor is even that 
sufficient, unless what is spoken be delivered by the voice, 
by the countenance, and by the gesture in such a manner 
as to give it a higher relish." And again: "It is hardly 
possible to express of how great consequence is the manner 
in which the orator avails himself of tones of voice, gesture, 
and the expression of the countenance. For even indif- 
ferent speakers, by the dignity of their action, have fre- 
quently reaped the fruits of eloquence; whilst those whose 
language is that of an orator, often on account of the awk- 
wardness of their action, have been reckoned indifferent 
speakers." 

Quintilian says: "If delivery can produce such an ef- 
fect as to excite anger, tears, and solicitude in subjects we 
know to be fictitious and vain, how much more powerful 
must it be when we are persuaded in reality? Nay, I ven- 
ture to pronounce that even an indifferent oration, recom- 
mended by the force of action, would have more effect than 



Action. i i 

the best, if destitute of this enforcement. " St. Francis of 
Sales, who by his preaching of the word of God drew tens 
of thousands into the true fold of Christ, gives studied 
delivery a very decided commendation when he says, "that 
the most eloquent composition, badly delivered, will produce 
little or no effect ; whilst a very mediocre speech, eloquently 
delivered, will often be attended with the most striking 
results." And this is only natural, for good delivery makes 
the impression deeper and more lasting. 

Many labor under the false idea, that the orator is 
born, not made. They declaim against all attempts at 
acquiring oratory. They say it makes one artificial; and 
still there is not a single orator of any renown who was not 
aided by art. The greatest orators of ancient times were 
Cicero and Demosthenes. Both of these were assiduous 
in the study of the minutest details of the art. Demos- 
thenes was not gifted by nature. The pre-eminence he 
acquired in a nation of orators was the work of years of 
close application. History tells of him spending years, 
away from men, in desert places, perfecting his art. His 
practice and belief agreed with Cicero\s, — that to be an 
orator something more was needed than to be born. With 
regard to the idea that the study of Elocution tends to 
create an unnatural mode of delivery, we hold that it is 
true only where the art is imperfectly acquired. It is the 
same in all the arts. The man who has taken but a few 
lessons in painting, will not be true to nature in his pictures. 
No one condemns the pictorial art on this account. It 
is just as insane to condemn Elocution on a judgment formed 
from hearing one who is yet in the primer of Elocution. 
Ars est celare artem. All of the odium that has come to 
the lovers of Elocution has been invited by the half-baked 
variety who were not sufficiently skilled to conceal their 
art. The real art of Elocution lies in concealing art. Fol- 
lowing up a line of argument based on the assertions of some, 



12 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Demosthenes should have been the worst of orators, since 
he pursued this study further than any other ancient or 
modern speaker. 

Amongst modern orators, we may point with national 
pride to Henry Clay, the prince of American speakers. 
He early began to prepare for the success he afterwards 
attained. He acknowledges the pains he took to acquire 
oratory. "I owe my success in life," he says, "to one 
single fact, namely, that at an early age I commenced and 
continued for some years, the practice of daily reading and 
speaking the contents of some historical or scientific book... 
It is to this early practice of the art of all arts that I am in- 
debted for the primary and leading impulses that stimulated 
my progress, and have shaped and moulded my whole 
destiny. " In short, no man who has attained even pass- 
ing renown as an orator, will admit that the thorough 
study of action is not a positive necessity for success in oratory. 

These remarks are inserted here, as the hue and cry 
of ignorance has arisen against this part of the study of 
oratory in particular. Let the student of oratory heed 
rather the words of Shakespeare than those of men whose 
delight is to carp: 

"Pleads he in earnest! Look upon his face, 

His eyes do drop no tears; his prayers are jest; 

His words come from his mouth, ours from our breast; 

He prays but faintly and would be denied; 

We pray with heart and soul." 

We will treat this division of Elocution under the fol- 
lowing heads, — Position, Relaxation, Delsarte 's Laws, 
and Planes of Gesture. To these we subjoin a few re- 
marks on the limits of Personation. 



Position. 13 

position 

The study of Position is the first point we call attention 
to, as it is the first point which catches the eye when a speaker 
appears. Is he ungraceful in his bearing? If so, he has 
implanted in the minds of the audience a point against 
him at the very start. The old saying has it, "first impres- 
sions are generally lasting." It holds good here as well 
as anywhere — hence, the importance of this subject. 

In laying down rules for Position, elocutionists have 
in view two points — the correct and expressive balance, or 
poise of the body, and a becoming appearance. 

There are Three Positions. We shall call them the 
Unexcited, the Excited, and the Military. Each of these 
forms the basis of one or more attitudes. By Attitude is 
meant the enlargement of a Position. In the Unexcited 
Position, the speaker stands erect in an easy, dignified 
manner, with the hands hanging naturally at the sides, 
and the feet nearly together. The weight of the body 
should be principally on the ball of the left foot, and the 
right should be three or four inches in advance. The left 
limb is straight; the right, slightly bent at the knee. As 
a change and rest, reverse the position, throwing the weight 
on the right and placing the left in advance. 

It is used in all unexcited speech, such as narration 
and the portrayal of the gentler emotions. In the following 
examples the unexcited position is employed. 

EXAMPLES 
IKtgbttall 

Alone I stand; 

On either hand 
In gathering gloom stretch sea and land; 

Beneath my feet, 

With ceaseless beat, 
The waters murmur low and sweet. 



14 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Slow falls the night: 

The tender light 
Of stars grows brighter and more bright, 

The lingering ray 

Of dying day 
Sinks deeper down and fades away. 

Now fast, now slow, 

The south winds blow, 
And softly whisper, breathing low; 

With gentle grace 

They kiss my face, 
Or fold me in their cool embrace. 

Where one pale star, 

O'er waters far, 
Droops down to touch the harbor bar, 

A faint light gleams, 

A light that seems 
To grow and grow till nature teems 

With mellow haze; 

And to my gaze 
Comes proudly rising, with its rays 

No longer dim, 

The moon; its rim 
In splendor gilds the billowy brim. 



I watch it gain 

The heavenly plain; 
Behind it trails a starry train — 

While low and sweet 

The wavelets beat 
Their murmuring music at my feet. 

Fair night of June! 

Yon silver moon 
Gleams pale and still. The tender tune, 

Faint-floating, plays, 

In moonlit lays, 
A melody of other days. 



Position. 15 

'Tis sacred ground; 
A peace profound 
Comes o'er my soul. I hear no sound, 
Save at my feet 
The ceaseless beat 
Of waters murmuring low and sweet. (W. W. Ellsworth) 

From TCicbelieu Act L 

Adrian de Mauprat, men have called me cruel; 

I am not; I am just. I found France rent asunder; 

The rich men despots and the poor banditti; 

Sloth in the mart and schism within the temple; 

Brawls festering to rebellion; and weak laws 

Rotting away with rust in antique sheaths. 

I have re-created France; and from the ashes 

Of the old feudal and decrepit carcass, 

Civilization on her luminous wings 

Soars, phoenix-like, to Jove! What was my art? 

Genius, some say; some, fortune; witchcraft, some: 

Not so; my art was justice! Force and fraud 

Mis-name it cruelty: you shall confute them! 

My champion you! You met me as your foe. 

Depart my friend. You shall not die: France needs you. 

You shall wipe off all stains; be rich, be honored; 

Be great. (Sir Edward Btdwer Lyttori) 

From HS J^OU Xlfce *fft Act II. 

Duke S. Now, my co-mates and brothers in exile, 
Hath not old custom made this life more sweet 
Than that of painted pomp? Are not these woods 
More free from peril than the envious Court? 
Here feel we but the penalty of Adam. 
The seasons' difference; as, the icy fang, 
And churlish chiding of the winter's wind, — 
Which, when it bites and blows upon my body, 
Even till I shrink with cold, I smile, and say, — 
This is no flattery. — these are counselors, 
That feelingly persuade me what I am. 
Sweet are the uses of adversity; 
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, 
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head; 



1 6 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

And this our life, exempt from public haunt, 
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks. 
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing. (Shakespeare) 

From WL0X&6 

I have known a word more gentle 
Than the breath of summer air; 
In a listening heart it nestled, 
And it lived forever there. 
Not the beating of its prison 
Stirred it ever, night or day, 
Only with the heart's last throbbing 
Could it fade away. 

Words are mighty, words are living; 
Serpents with their venomous stings, 
Or bright angels crowding round us, 
With heaven's light upon their wings: 
Every word has its own spirit, 
True or false, that never dies; 
Every word man's lips have uttered 
Echoes in God's skies. (Adelaide A. Procter) 



The First Attitude is only the enlargement of the 
first position. The feet should be separated some distance, 
thus giving a firmer basis. A rest and change from this 
attitude is made by advancing the left foot and throwing 
the weight of the body on the right. The first attitude 
is used while giving utterance to grandeur, heroism, and 
strong oratorical thought. As an example on which to practice, 
an excerpt from the speech of Hon. J. R. Chandler on the 
Know Nothing Movement is here inserted. 

"If, Mr. Chairman, I had not long been a member of this House, 
I might startle at the risk of presenting myself as the professor of a 
creed evil spoken of. But I know the House is composed of gentle- 
men. I stand here alone in defence of my faith, but I stand in the 
Congress of the nation. I stand for truth and my soul is undaunted." 



Position. 1 7 

In the Second Position , the Excited , the left foot is ad- 
vanced and most of the weight is thrown on the ball. The 
right heel is entirely off the floor, and the ball of the right 
foot, touching the floor, balances the body. The left leg 
is slightly bent at the knee. A rest is taken by reversing 
the position, bringing the right foot to the front, etc. The 
body is inclined forward as if about to take a step. The 
Excited Position is assumed in any speech implying earnest 
appeal and solicitude, and, also, as "Practical Elocution" 
says: "When the speaker is impelled by some emotion which 
causes him to step forward towards his audience, as if to 
get nearer to them that he may impart, with more power 
and emotion, that which he utters. " 

EXAMPLES 
From IRomeo anD Juliet Act II. 

But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? 
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. (Shakespeare) 

From QLeonore 

But see! what throng, with song and gong 
Moves by, as croaks the raven hoarse! 
Hark! funeral song! Hark! knelling dong! 
. They sing, "Let's here inter the corpse!" 
And nearer draws that mourning throng, 
And bearing hearse and bier along, 
With hollow hymn outgurgled like 
Low reptile groanings from a dyke. 

"Entomb your dead when midnight wanes, 

With knell, and bell, and funeral wail! 

Now homeward to her dim domains 

I hear my bride — so, comrades, hail!" (J.C. Mangan) 



1 8 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

From XZhe ©boat's petition 

"There's a footstep coming; look out and see." — 

"The leaves are falling, the wind is calling; 

No one cometh across the lea." — 

"There's a footstep coming: O sister look." — 

"The ripple flashes, the white foam dashes; 

No one cometh across the brook." (C. G. Rossetti) 



From Zbe TIMbite Sail 

A wreath of smoke, fast-driven against a flame 
Yon by the crimsoning east the dark ship moved, 
Her herald noises strangely borne ashore: 
'Joy* joy!' and interlinked: 'O joy, O joy, 
Athens our mother! joy to all thy gates!' 
And thunderous firm acclaim of minstrelsy, 
Laughter, and antheming, and salvos wild 
Outran the racing prow. (L. /. Guiney) 



The Second Attitude differs from the second position in 
extension and also in the position of the feet. The left 
is extended as in the second position, but the right does 
not balance on the ball. It is planted firmly on the floor. 
The whole body leans forward as in the Excited position, 
and the muscles are rigid, forming straight lines and angles 
rather than curves. This attitude may also be reversed. 
It is correctly used in defiant threatening and very emphatic 
thought. 

EXAMPLES 
From XLbe /llbercbant of Venice Act III. 

Salarino. Why I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take his 
flesh: what's that good for? 

Shylock. (Emphatic) To bait fish withal; if it will feed nothing 
else, it will feed my revenge. The villainy you teach me, I will exe- 
cute; and it shallt go hard, but I will better the instruction. 

(Shakespeare) 



Position. 19 

Speecb of Sempronius 

My voice is still for war. 

Gods! can a Roman senate long debate 

Which of the two to choose, slav'ry or death? 

No, let us rise at once, gird on our swords, 

And, at the head of our remaining troops, 

Attack the foe, break through the thick array 

Of his thronged legions, and charge home upon him. 

Perhaps some arm, more lucky than the rest, 

May reach his heart, and free the world from bondage. 

Rise, fathers, rise! 'tis Rome demands your help; 

Rise, and revenge her slaughtered citizens, 

Or share their fate! The corpse of half her Senate 

Manure the fields of Thessaly, while we 

Sit here delib 'rating in cold debates 

If we .should sacrifice our lives to honor, 

Or wear them out in servitude and chains. 

Rouse up for shame! Our brothers of Pharsalia 
Point out their wounds, and cry aloud, "To battle!" 
Great Pompey's shade complains that we are slow, 
And Scipio's ghost walks unrevenged among us! (Addison) 

From XLhe Collegians 

"Talk not to me, sir," she said, "of your regret or your reluctance. 
You have already done your worst to fix a stigma on our name and a 
torture in our memories. For months, for weeks, and days, my son 
spoke with you, laughed with you, and walked freely and openly 
among you, and then you laid no hand upon his shoulder. You waited 
for his wedding-day to raise your lying cry of murder; you waited to 
see how many hearts you might crush together at a blow. You have 
done the worst of evil in your power; you have dismayed our guests, 
scattered terror amid our festival, and made the remembrance of this 
night, which should have been a happy one, a thought of gloom and 
shame." 

"My duty," murmured the magistrate, "obliged me to sacrifice — " 
"Complete your duty, then," said the mother haughtily, and do 
not speak of your personal regrets. If justice and my son are foes, 
what place do you fill between them? You mistake your calling, 
Mr. Magistrate; you have no personal feelings in this transaction. 
You are a servant of the law, and, as a servant, act." (Gerald Griffin) 



20 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

From Zhe f)rt>&en <3em Acta. 

Proculus. Bah! 

You came to act a part and well have acted! 
The sleek smooth-faced palmer, unrepining 
At a snug berth. Some patience is good pay 
For five years' shelter, clothing, food and alms. 
Where is the beggar that can't bear a taunt, 
Aye, or a blow, for one coin? But five years' 
Living upon the sweat of others' brows, 
Must be a beggar's paradise! 

Eusebius. Shame! shame! 

Proc. A}^e, shame enough! that a young sturdy vagrant 
Should eat the bread of honest, toiling folk. 
Shame, that he should be sitting all day, 
As if at home, within another's house 
Instead of putting out his strength to interest, 
And drawing food from his strong, sinewy arm. 
Can I who bear the burden of this house, 
With patience see a lazy parasite 
Feed on its fatness? suck its very blood? — 
Now, hear my answer: under just reproach, 
Scorn well deserved, blows well merited, 
You may have wisely bent — not low enough 
By one good fathom, for my deep disdain. (Cardinal Wiseman) 



From /ifoacbetb Act V. 

Macduff. Tyrant, show thy face! 

If thou be'st slain and with no stroke of mine, 
My wife and children's ghosts will haunt me still. 
I cannot strike at wretched kerns, whose arms 
Are hired to bear their staves: either thou, Macbeth, 
Or else my sword, with an unbatter'd edge, 
I sheathe again undeeded. There thou shouldst be; 
By this clatter, one of greatest note 
Seems bruited. Let me find him, fortune! 
And more I beg not. (Shakespeare) 



Position. 2 1 

The Third Attitude is based on the Excited position 
likewise. The weight is thrown on the left foot. The 
right leg is straight; the left, bent at the knee. The right 
foot is forward and separated from the left by a space of 
about twice the length of the foot. The body inclines 
backward. This attitude is generally used in dramatic 
oratory where horror or extreme terror are to be expressed, 

EXAMPLES 

From /l&acbetb Act III. 

A vaunt! and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee! 

Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; 

Thou hast no speculation in those eyes 

Which thou dost glare with! {Shakespeare) 

From 3-uliue Caeaar Act IV. 

> Brutus. How ill this taper burns. Ha! who conies here? 
I think it is the weakness of my eyes 
That shapes this monstrous apparition. 

It comes upon me: — Art thou anything? 
Art thou some god, some angel, or some devil, 
That mak'st my blood cold, and my hair to stare? 

(Shakespeare) 

From XLbe Spectre Caravan 

Twas at midnight, in the desert, where we rested on the ground; 
There my Bedouins were sleeping, and their steeds were stretched around; 
In the farness lay the moonlight on the mountains of the Nile, 
And the camel bones that strewed the sand for many an arid mile. 
When, behold ! — a sudden sandquake — and atween the earth and 

moon 
Rose a mighty host of shadows as from out some dim lagoon: 
Then our coursers gasped with terror, and a thrill shook every man, 
And the cry was, "Allah Akbar ! 'tis the Spectre Caravan ! 

(/. C. Mangan) 



22 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

In the Third Position which is called the Military , the 
heels are together or nearly so. We can describe it best 
by saying it is the Soldier's Position. The weight of the 
body is about equally divided on each foot. The elocutionist 
finds most use for this position in personating characters, 
and in practicing breathing exercises, etc. Sometimes it 
is used as the position of respect. When Proculus enters 
in the first act of the Hidden Gem, he assumes this position 
and says, "Iamat your bidding.' ' 

EXAMPLES 
From Gimon of nthene Act I. 

Servant. Please you, my lord, that honourable gentleman, lord 
Xucullus, entreats your company to-morrow to hunt with him: and 
has sent your honour two brace of greyhounds. (Shakespeare) 

From nntony ano Cleopatra Act I. 

Messenger. Thy biddings have been done; and every hour, 
Most noble Caesar, shalt thou have report 
How 'tis abroad. Pompey is strong at sea; 
And it appears, he is beloved of those 
That only have feared Caesar; to the ports 
The discontents repair, and men's reports 
Give him much wronged. (Shakespeare) 



The Fourth Attitude is based on the preceding posi- 
tion. It is principally used in personations, and is ex- 
pressive of impudence, self-assertion, etc. As examples 
on which to practice, we cite the following: 

EXAMPLES 

From Ifttttg IfoetUE fit). Part I. Act II. 

Poins. Come, your reason, Jack, your reason. 

Falstaff. What, upon compulsion? No; were I at the strappado 
or all the racks in the world, I would not tell you on compulsion. Give 
you a reason on compulsion ! if reasons were as plenty as blackberries, 
I would give no man a reason upon compulsion, I. (Shakespeare) 



Position. 23 

From ITntenuew witb president Xtncoln 

"Go home, you miserable men, go home and till the sile! go to 
peddlin tinware — go to choppin wood — go to bilin ' sope — stuff 
sassengers — black boots — go to lecturin at 50 dollars a nite — im- 
bark in the peanut biziniss — write for the Ledger — saw off your legs 
and go round givin concerts, with tuchin appeals to a charitable public, 
printed on your handbills — anything for a honest living, but don't 
come round here drivin Old Abe crazy by your outrajis cuttings up! 
Go home. Stand not upon the order of your goin', but go to onct! Bf 
in five minits from this time," sez I, pullin' out my new sixteen dollar 
huntin cased watch and brandishin it before their eyes, "Ef in five 
minits from this time a single sole of you remains on these here pre- 
mises, I'll go out to my cage near by, and let my Boy Constructor 
loose!" You ought to have seen them scamper, Mr. Fair. They run 
orf as tho Satan hisself was arter them with a red hot ten pronged 
pitchfork. In five minits the premises were clear. (Artemus Ward) 



GENERAL EXAMPLES 



From Count CanDespina's StanDarD 

Gonzalez in his stirrups rose: 

"Turn, turn, thou traitor knight! 

Thou bold tongue in a lady's bower, 
Thou dastard in a fight!" 

But vainly valiant Gomez cried 

Across the waning fray: 
Pale Lara and his craven band 

To Burgos scoured away. 

"Now, by the God above me, sirs, 

Better we all were dead, 
Than a single knight among ye all 

Should ride where Lara led! 

"Yet ye who fear to follow me, 
As yon traitor, turn and fly; 

For I lead ye not to win a field; 

I lead ye forth to die." (G. H. Boker) 



24 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

From GEtnbeline Act III. 

Imo. I see, a man's life is a tedious one: 
I have tir'd myself; and for two nights together 
Have made the ground my bed, I should be sick, 
But that my resolution helps me. — Milford, 
When from the mountain-top, Pisanio show'd thee, 
Thou wast within a ken; O Jove! I think, 
Foundations fly the wretched; such, I mean, 
Where they should be relieved. Two beggars told me 
I could not miss my way : Will poor folks lie, 
That have afflictions on them; knowing 'tis 
A punishment or trial? Yes, no wonder, 
When rich ones scarce tell true: to lapse in fulness 
Is sorer than to lie for need ; and falsehood 
Is worse in kings than beggars. — My dear lord ! 
Thou art one o' the false ones: Now I think on thee, 
My hunger's gone; but even before, I was 
At point to sink for food. — But what is this, 
Here is a path to it: 'Tis some savage hold: 
I were best not call; I dare not call: yet famine, 
Ere clean it o'erthrow nature, makes it valiant. 
Plenty, and peace, breeds cowards; hardness ever 
Of hardiness is mother. — Ho, who's here? 
If anything that's civil, speak; if savage, 
Take or lend. — Ho! — No answer? then I'll enter. 
Best draw my sword, and if mine enemy 
But fear the sword like me, he'll scarcely look on 
Such a foe, good heavens! {Shakespeare) 



The professor can profitably employ the time of the 
students by having them illustrate the various positions 
and attitudes with the numerous selections at the end of 
this book. 



CHAPTER III. 



Hrticulation 

Articulation, derived from articular e — to divide into 
single members or joints, to furnish with joints, hence, 
to utter distinctly, giving each joint its due value and 
prominence, demands precedence, being the basis of just 
Elocution. 

Jonathan Barber says: "Students of elocution should 
always attend to articulation as the primary object; and 
in the first instance, it should be prosecuted alone, as a 
distinct branch of the art, and prosecuted until perfection 
in it is attained." 

The acquisition of an accurate and distinct articulation 
is wholly mechanical. It demands nothing more than 
industry and persevering elementary practice. Wherein 
does it consist? 

"In just articulation, the words are not hurried over, 
nor precipitated, syllable over syllable; nor, as it were, melted 
together into a mass of confusion. They should neither 
be abridged nor prolonged, nor swallowed, nor forced; 
they should not be trailed nor drawled, nor let slip out 
carelessly. They are to be delivered out from the lips as 
beautiful coins, newly issued from the mint; deeply and 
accurately impressed, perfectly finished, neatly struck by 
the proper organs, distinct, in due succession and of due 
weight" {Austin's Chironomia) 



26 



Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 



Although it is impossible to classify all the elements 
of syllables and words exactly, the following classification 
will be found comprehensive and accurate enough for cul- 
tivating the articulatory organs. Theory, however, will 
prove useless, unless swallowed up in practice. 

Practice, and frequent practice only, in every department 
of elocution, is the magic watchword that insures success. 
As practice in articulation, try to read in a whisper so as 
to be heard and understood at a distance. This is one of 
the best aids to good articulation that we can give. An- 
other commendable exercise is for two or more students 
of the art to stand a goodly distance apart, out in the open, 
and talk, not shout, so as to be understood. 



JElementatE Sounoe 



[S 


as in arm 


a 


as in pharos 


e e as in merger 


a 


" path 


a 


" Italian 


u " null 


a 


" rare 


e 


" helm 


u " burnish 


a 


" tang 


e 


" premier 


T " rift 


[?. 


" guffaw 





" junto 


oo " rook 


ia 


" notary 


o 


11 loam 


oo " loon 



Bipbtbongs 



ou — a glide from a to oo, pout 

u — a compound of i and oo, student 

7 — a glide from a to i , prize 

a — a vanish in i or e, ray 

o — a vanish in oo or OO, hones. 



Articulation. 
{Table of Consonant SounDe 



27 



Place of Articulation 



Continuous 



Q 

CO 



< 

O 
CO 



Momentary 



CO 



O 

CO 



Lips 

Lips and teeth 

Tongue and teeth 

Tongue and hard palate (forward) . 
Tongue and hard palate (back) .... 

Tongue, hard, and soft palate 

Tongue and soft palate 

Various places 



th(in) 
s 
sh 



w 

V 

th(y) 
z, r 
zh, r 

y, 1 



t 
eh 



d 
J 



k 
h 



Consonants are styled Momentary and Continuous, because 
the mute consonants, surds as well as sonants, are incapable 
of any appreciable duration; whereas the continuants may 
be sustained until the breath expires. 

Consonants delivered with impeded tone, owing to their 
tone quality, are called " sonants;" consonants produced 
with breath sounds only, and those made by mute action, 
are called surds, because they are " toneless." 

For the oral consonants, the passage through the nose 
must be wholly obstructed. It is the property of the soft 
palate to do this by being pressed like a valve on the wall 
of the pharynx, thus clearing the passage into the mouth. 

The nasal consonants, m, n, ng, which are solely ' "so- 
nants," require the soft palate to be depressed, thus cut- 
ting off the passage to the mouth and rendering it neces- 
sary for the air to escape through the nostrils; e.g., twang, 
sing, wrong, lamb, etc. 

The examples which follow have been culled with care- 
ful hand from Catholic gardens, and form a bouquet, exhal- 
ing the most wholesome fragrance. While the specific 
object of their insertion was the exemplification of vowel- 
quality, withal, the teacher will find a broad field wherein his 



28 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

pupils may profitably explore for specimens of various 
kinds of Pitch, Force, Inflection, Emphasis, etc. 

Vowels having identical sounds or closely allied, have 
been combined; for their correct pronunciation Webster 's 
dictionary will afford the rules. 



An answer, not that you long for, 
But diviner, will come one day; 

Your eyes are too dim to see it, 
Yet strive and wait and pray. 

(Adelaide A. Procter) 

Weep on, weep on, your hour is past, 

Your dreams of Pride are o'er; 
The fatal chain is round you cast 

And you are men no more. 
In vain the hero's heart hath bled, 

The sage's tongue hath warned in vain 
Oh, Freedom! once thy flame hath fled, 

It never lights again! 

Faith's meanest deed more favor bears 

Where hearts and wills are weigh'd, 
Than brightest transports, choicest prayers, 

Which bloom their hour and fade. 
Heaven but faintly warms the breast 

That beats beneath a broider'd veil; 
And she who comes in glittering vest 

To mourn her frailty, still is frail. 

Those hearts of ours — how strange! how strange! 
How they yearn to ramble, and love to range 
Down through the vales of the years long gone, 
Up through the future that fast rolls on. 

(Father Ryan) 

God is in all places; therefore, we owe Him respect in all places. 
There is no place in the universe which is not consecrated by the pre- 
sence of His majesty: and in what place soever I am, I may say with 
Jacob: "This place is holy, and I knew it not." 



Articulation, 29 



IVeJlived to know my share of joy, 

To feel my share of pain, 

To learn that friendship's self can cloy; 

To love, and love in vain; 

To feel a pang and wear a smile, 

To tire of other climes; 

To like my own unhappy isle, 

And sing the gay old times! 

Old times! Old times! 

The very earth, the steamy air 

Is all with fragrance rife; 
And grace and beauty everywhere 

Are flushing into life. 
Do you ask me the place of this valley, 

To hearts that are harrowed by care? 
It lieth afar between mountains, 

And God and His Angels are there; 

And one is the dark mount of sorrow, 

And one the bright mountain of prayer. 

Oh, England's fame! Oh, glorious name! 

And one, that France most cherished, 

On marble bare are written there — 

Their names and how they perished! 

Its summit high against the sky, 

Like sentinel defending, 

Points from the sod to where, with God, 

Their spirits now are blending! {Joseph K. Foran) 



And mine, O brother of my soul 

When my release shall come; 
Thy gentle arms shall lift me then, 

Thy wings shall waft me home. 

We trample grass and prize the flowers of May: 
Yet grass is green when flowers fade away. 

What laud, what people, has the sun ever illumined more worthy 
of the heart's deep affection than our own? Here, where Nature, 



3° Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

who never hastens and never tires, has stored, through countless ages, 
whatever may be serviceable to man, divine Providence has given 
us a country as large as all Europe, with a soil more fertile, and a 
climate more invigorating. 

In the city hallowed by the name of Washington, in the Capitol 
of the freeest people on earth, the Roman Catholic Church made to 
our country the magnificent gift of a great university, where science 
and art, where religion and morality will ever find a home, and where 
our people will learn the grand lesson that loyalty to God means loy- 
alty to the state. 

Had Whashington, Franklin, Carroll, and their illustrious brethren 
failed in the work which God had laid out for them, it would have 
been a dire calamity to humanity itself. 



Then what this world to thee, my heart? 
Its gifts nor feed thee nor can bless; 
Thou hast no owner's part 
In all its fleetingness. 

In the dark hour of the night, just before day, 

In the rear of the camp, 'twas marching my beat 

When a gentle voice murmured, "Forgive them, I pray, 

For this, O my Lord! I bow at thy feet." 

To the tent of the penitent I moved on tiptoe, 

I thought some mortal was stricken with grief. 

'Twas a Sister of Charity, face all aglow, 

Praying for us and our country's relief. {John F. Scanlan) 

Every one has some sweet face 

Prisoned in a picture case, 

Or by memory's magic art 

Photographed upon the heart: 

And we all in gloomy days, 

Steal apart and on them gaze. {Michael O'Connor) 

Now from the overcrowded streets, 

Whose torrid heat the city parches, 
The multitudes seek cool retreats 

By breezy shores or woodland arches. {W. D, Kelly) 



Articulation. 3 1 

It dawned on my soul like a picture of light, 
Or a star that illumines the azure of night, 
Sparkling and beautiful, winsome and fair 
The pink of perfection of all that were there. (/. C. Keegan) 



The temple is a cross; its centre the tabernacle, and Christ is a- 
dored forever in the divinest symbol of His love, which is borne upward 
on aerial spires far above all monuments of human pride, shedding 
benediction and gentler life through the world's waste. 

Seek thy salve while sore is green, 

Fester 'd wounds ask deeper lancing; 

After-cures are seldom seen, 

Often sought, scarce ever chancing: 

In the rising stifle ill, 

Lest it grow against thy will. (Robert Southwell) 

Another year — the curfew rings; 

Fast cover up each coal, 

The old year dies, the old year dies, 

The bells its requiem toll. 

A pilgrim year has reached its shrine, 

The air with incense glows; 

The spirit of another year 

Comes forth from long repose. (Thomas O'Hagan) 



Swift fly the years, and rise th' expected morn! 

O, spring to light, auspicious babe be born! (Pope) 

O, Religion of peace! thou hast not like other systems, inculcated 
the precepts of hatred and discord; thou hast taught men nothing 
but love and harmony. 

In awe she listened, and the shade 

Passed from her soul away: 
In low and trembling voice she cried, 

"Lord help me to obey!" 



32 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

The waves were white, and red the morn 

In the noisy hour when I was born, 

And the whale it whistled, and the porpoise rolled, 

And the dolphins bared their backs of gold: 

And never was heard such an outcry wild 

As welcomed to life the ocean child! 

All nature manifests the infinite skill of its Author. 

See how pale the moon rolls 

Her silver wheel; and, scattering beams afar 
On earth's benighted souls, 

See wisdom's holy star; 
Or, in his fiery course, the sanguine Orb of war. 

Star of the deep! when angel lyres 

To hymn thy holy name essay, 
In vain a mortal harp aspires 
To mingle in the mighty lay! 
Mother of God! one living ray 
Of hope our grateful bosom fires, 
When storms and tempests pass away, 
To join the bright immortal choirs. 
Ave Maris Stella! 

Fall in! fall in! fall in! Every man in his place 
Fall in! fall in! fall in! Each with a cheerful face 
Fall in! fall in! 



How calm, how beautiful comes on 
The stilly hour, when storms are gone; 
When warring winds have died away, 
And clouds beneath the glancing ray, 
Melt off, and leave the land and sea 
Sleeping in bright tranquillity, — 
Fresh as if day again were born, 
Again upon the lap of morn. 

In some things all, in all things none are crossed; 
Few all things need, and none have all they wish. 
Unmingled joys here to no man befall; 
Who least hath some; who most hath never all. 



Articulation. 33 

a o ow 

Anxious thoughts in endless circles roll, 
Without a centre where to fix the soul: 

In this wild maze their wild endeavors end; 
How can the less the greater comprehend? 

Or finite reason reach infinity? 
For what could fathom God were more than He. 

Peace o'er the world her olive wand extend, 

And white-robed Innocence from heaven descend. 

Hark! a glad voice the lonely desert cheers: — 

"Prepare the way! a God, a God appears!" 

"A God, a God!" the vocal hills reply; 

The rocks proclaim th' approaching Deity. {Pope) 

Knowledge is the light which comes down from the throne of the 
Eternal. 

Passed from this world with sin and sorrow rife, 

A world unfitted for a soul like hers — 

Pure in each sphere — as sister, mother, wife — 

To mingle with God's holiest worshippers, 

And round his throne to join the myriad throng 

Who praise His holy name in ceaseless song! (J. C. Curtiri) 



Down, down they- come — those fruitful stores! 
Those earth-rejoicing drops! 
A momentary deluge pours, 
Then thins, decreases, stops. 

Freedom all solace to man gives; 
He lives at ease who freely fives. 

The beginning of matter, the elements into which it may ulti- 
mately be resolvable, how the cycles of the heavenly bodies began, 
the unspeakable intricacy of their checks and counter-checks, the 
secular aberrations and secular corrections of the same, the secret 
of life, the immateriality of the soul, where physical science ends, 



34 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

— all these questions are discussed in a thousand books in a spirit 
and tone betokening the most utter f orgetf ulness that we are little crea- 
tures, who got here, God help us! where He chooses and when. {Father 
Faber.) 



And the music flows down the dim valley 
Till each finds a word for a wing; 
That to men, like the doves of the deluge, 
The message of peace they may bring. 



ee 



They shall safely steer who see; 
Sight is wisdom. Come to me! 

Hunted elsewhere, God's Church with thee found rest: — 
Thy future Hope is she — that queenly Guest. 

Oh be not thine such strife! there heaves no sod 

Along thy fields, but hides a hero's head; 

And when you charge for freedom and for God 

Then — then be mindful of the mighty dead ! 

Think that your field of battle is the bed 

Where slumber hearts, that never feared a foe 

And while you feel, at each electric tread, 

Their spirit through your veins indignant glow, 

Strong be your sabre's sway for freedom's vengeful blow. 

Oh, might I see but once again, as once before, 

Through chance or wile, that shape awhile, and then no more! 

Death soon would heal my griefs! This heart, now sad and 

sore, 
Would beat anew a little while, and then no more! 

Ah! thus when Death shall close the scene, ma}^ Heaven's eternal Spring 
Around the soul her fadeless wreaths her sacred roses fling; 
And when she looks in truimph back, will not her world of bliss 
Seem happier, for the gloom that rests on all that's found in this. 



Articulation. 35 



Dear emblem of my native land, 

My fresh fond words kept fresh and green 

The pressure of an unfelt hand 

The kisses of a lip unseen. 

A throb from my dear mother's heart — 
My father's smile revived once more — 
Oh, youth! oh, love! ph, hope! thou art 
Sweet shamrock, from the Irish shore! 



The Saviour's image sanctifies the ancestral hall, the closet and 
bed-chamber; it is the subject for the exercise of the highest genius 
in the imitative arts: it is worn next to the heart in life: it is held be- 
fore the failing eyes in death. 

The whole universe is a temple filled with the glorious presence 
of the Deity. 

Not always full of leaf, nor even spring; 
Not endless night, nor yet eternal day, 
The saddest birds a season find to sing; 
The roughest storms a calm may soon allay. 
Thus, with succeeding terms God tempereth all; 
That man may hope to rise, yet fear to fall. 

But ah! on sudden, Famine's breath brought direful desolation; 
Whilst tyrants cast their cruel laws around the dying nation, 
And spurn 'd the wasted, wither 'd poor, for help, for mercy crying, 
The Saxons smiled with joy to hear that Celtic sons were dying. 

O! grant that when again 

A year has fled, 
And 'mid the haunts of men 

My time has sped, 
My retrospective look 

May not rebuke. 



36 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 



Fairer the inward perfection of a soul which God has renewed, 
than all the gorgeous but evanescent loveliness of earth's most lovely 
scenes. 

See! see! th' Eternal Hands 

Put on her radiant crown, 
And the sweet Majesty 

Of mercy sitteth down, 
Forever and forever 

On her predest'n'd throne! 

Softly woo away her breath, 

Gentle Death! 
Let her leave thee with no strife, 
Tender, murmuring, mournful Life! 

Every word has its own spirit — 
True or false — that never dies; 
Every word man's lips have uttered 
Echoes in God's skies. 

From vast Niagara's gurgling roar 

To Sacramento's golden shore, 
From east to western wave 

The blended vows of millions rise, 
Their voice re-echoes to the skies — 

"The Union we must save!" 



Serve, then, that King, immortal and so full of mercy, who will 
value a sigh and a glass of water given in His name, more than all 
others will ever do the effusion of all your blood; and begin to date 
the time of your useful services from the day on which you shall 
have given yourself to a master so beneficent. (Bossuef) 



The Lord knows best; He gave us thirst for learning; 

And deepest knowledge of his work betrays 

No thirst left waterless. Shall our soul-yearning 

Apart from all things be a quenchless blaze? (/. B. O'Reilly) 



Articulation. 37 



Generosity, tenderness, and refinement of nature are especially 
cherished by poesy; while the hardier virtues, courage, perseverance, 
and self-sacrifice, the constituents of the heroic character, have at 
all times been the great objects to which it directs our admiration. 

Deny me wealth, far, far remove 

The lure of power or name; 
Hope thrives in straits, in weakness, love, 

And faith, in this world's shame. 

He beheld his wife and his infant weep for unknown joy: soon yield- 
ing to an irresistible impulse, he fell at the foot of the cross, and mingled 
torrents of tears with the regenerating waters that were poured upon 
his head. 

Has there been any form of government ever devised by man to 
which the religion of Catholics has not been accommodated? 

Man must not be permitted altogether to despise himself; lest, 
believing, with the impious, that life is but a game in which hazard 
reigns, he follow without rule and without guidance, the will of his 
blind desires. 



Lead kindly light, amid the encircling gloom 

Lead thou me on! 
The night is dark, and I am far from home; 

Lead thou me on! 

Ye heavens! from high the dewy nectar pour, 
And in soft silence shed the kindly shower. 

Rise! for the day is passing, 

And you lie dreaming on; 

The others have buckled their armour 

And forth to fight are gone. 



38 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

O source of uncreated light, 
The Father's promised Paraclete! 
Thrice holy fount, thrice holy fire, 
Our hearts with heavenly love inspire. 
Come and thy sacred unction bring 
To sanctify us while we sing. 

Yet higher powers must think though they repine 
When sun is set, the little stars will shine. 

Vain are thy offerings, vain thy sighs 
Without one gift divine 
Give it my child, thy heart to me, 
And it shall rest in mine! 



The Catholic procession is the overflowing of religious joy beyond 
the vessel that usually contains it. It is the mystical stream which 
Ezechiel saw flowing from the Altar of the holy place, and issuing 
abroad, through the temple gates; deepening and swelling, as it flows 
along, till it becomes a mighty torrent, bounding forward in exultation, 
and making a joyful noise as the sound of many waters. 

He from thick films shall purge the visual ray, 
And on the sightless eye-ball pour the day; 
'TBs He th' obstructed paths of sound shall clear 
And bid new music charm th' unfolding ear. 

Why should I shiver beside the dim river 
Which the feet of Christ have coasted? 
For the angel of death can deliver 
Grief-laden souls that are yearning to soar. 

Oh! land of sorrows, Innisfail! the saddest, yet the fairest! 

Though ever-fruitful are thy breasts — though green the garb thou 

wearest, 
|n vain thy children seek thy gifts, and fondly gather round thee; 
They live as strangers midst thy vales since dark oppression bound thee. 

{Rev. A. Bullet) 



Articulation. 39 



What an awful state of mind must a man have attained, when he 
can despise a mother's counsel! Her very name is identified with every 
idea that can subdue the sternest mind; that can suggest the most 
profound respect, the deepest and most heartfelt attachment, the most 
unlimited obedience. 

Humility is one of the most difficult of virtues, both to attain and 
to ascertain. Ancient civilization had not the idea, and had no word 
to express it; or rather, it had the idea, and considered it a defect of 
mind, not a virtue, so that the word which denoted it conveyed a re- 
proach. (Newman) 

O, then, let thy magical fingers glide lightly, 

The slumbering strings rouse to melody true, 

And thy own gentle voice chime with every vibration 

As on fragrant flowers falls the soft soothing dew. 

(Rev. M. B. Brown) 



Soar up my soul unto thy rest. 
Cast off this loathsome load; 
Long is the death of thine exile, 
Too long thy strict abode. 

The old proverb "Charity begins at home" so often quoted and so 
little understood, means this: the first act of charity is like the expan- 
sion of the circle in the water; it springs from its centre, it cannot 
Overleap the intermediate space. Depend upon it, therefore, that if 
our hearts conceive great thoughts of charity, and of some work at a 
distance, while we are not doing the work of charity which lies at our 
feet it is a mere illusion. 

Still, still in those wilds may young liberty rally, 
And send her strong shout Over mountain and valley; 
The star of the west may yet rise in its glory, 
And the land that was darkest, be brightest in story. 



40 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

In this sweet spot the loved are sleeping; 
The sculptured angel pure as snow, 
Is, like the living mourner, weeping 
For those who rest in death below! 
On the white marble fond affection, 
Above the buried and the cold, 
Hath traced — ah mournful retrospection! 
Their praise in characters of gold. 

Oh no, — not a heart that e'er knew him but mourns, 
Deep, deep, o'er the grave, where such glory is shrined- 
O 'er a monument fame will preserve, 'mong the urns 
Of the wisest, the bravest, the best of mankind! 



oo 



Those hearts of ours — what fools! what fools! 

How they laugh at wisdom her cant and rules! 

How they waste their powers, and, when wasted, grieve 

For what they have squandered but can not retrieve. 

{Father Ryan) 

Oh! well was it said, tho' the king rule the nation, 

Tho' the making of laws to the statesman belongs, 

Who reigns first, who reigns last in the hearts of creation 

Is the god-given poet who maketh our songs. (E. C. Donnelly) 

Are our hearts lighter for the roses bloom? 
Or sad life fairer for their odorous breath? 
Or tangled threads upon Fate's busy loom, 
More deftly straightened by the hands of death? 

(S. T. Smith) 



o oo u 

That mother viewed the scene of blood; 
Her six unconquer'd sons were gone; 
Fearless she viewed — beside her stood 
Her last — her youngest — dearest one; 
He looked upon her and he smiled; 






Articulation. 41 

Oh! will she save that only child? 

Her loyal subjects, low and high, 

Full many a costly tribute bring; 

The glories of her kingdom, I, 

Her humble poet laureate sing. (E. J. McPhelip) 

Trust not him thy bosom's weal, 

A painted love alone revealing; 

The show, without the lasting zeal; 

The hollow voice, without the feeling. (Gerald Griffin) 



I had a dream: yes: some one softly said; 

"He's gone; and then a sigh went round the room. 

And then I surely heard a priestly voice 

Cry Subvenite; and they knelt in prayer." (Newman) 

Judge not; the workings of his brain 
And of his heart thou canst not see; 
What looks to thy dim eyes a stain 
In God's pure light may only be 
A scar, brought from some well-won field, 
Where thou wouldst only faint and yield. 

Hours are golden links, God's token, 
Reaching heaven; but one by One 
Take them, lest the chain be broken 
Ere the pilgrimage be done. 

There's nothing dark, below, above, 
But in its gloom I trace thy love, 
And meekly wait that moment when 
Thy touch shall turn all bright again. 

Truth can understand error, but error cannot understand truth. 

Another year — with tears and joys 

To form an arch of love. 
Another year to toil with hope 

And seek for rest above: 



42 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Another year winged on its way 

Eternity the goal 
Another year — peace in its train, 

Peace to each parting soul. 

It is a day to date from, when we first come to see, that the very 
fact of God having created us is in itself a whole magnificent reve- 
lation of eternal love, more safe to lean upon than what we behold, 
more worthy of our trust than what we know, more utterly our own 
than any other possession we can have. {Father Faber.) 



01 oy 

"Then ye tarry with me," cried the g} r psy in joy, 
"And you make of my dwelling your home. 
Many years have I prayed that the Israelite boy 
(Blessed hope of the Gentiles) would come," 

To leafless shrubs the flowering palms succeed, 

The od'rous myrtle to the noisome weed. 

The lambs with wolves shall graze the verdant mead, 

And boys in flow'ry bands the tiger lead. {Pope) 

While I, embroidering here with pleasant toil 

My imaged traceries around my name, 

This banner weave (in part from hostile spoil), 

And pay my fealty to thy highest claim. {Cardinal Wiseman) 



ou ow 

A vacant hour is always the devil's hour. When time hangs 
heavy, the wings of the spirit flap painfully and slow. Then it is 
that a book is a strong tower, nay a very Church, with angels lurking 
among the leaves, as if they were so many niches. 

In the stillness of awe and wonder, a clear bold voice cried out, 
from a group near the door: "Impious tyrant, dost thou not see that 
a poor, blind Christian hath more power over life than thou or thy 
cruel masters?" 



Articulation. 43 

Away, away! our hearts are gay, 

And free from care, by night and day, 

Think not of summer pleasure; 

The merry bells ring gayly out 

Our lips keep time with song and shout 

And laugh in happy measure. 

The sea! the sea! the open sea! 

The blue, the fresh, the ever free! 

Without a mark, without a bound, 

It runneth the earth's wide regions round, 

It plays with the clouds; it mocks the skies; 

Or like a cradled creature lies. 

Ye fields of changeless green, 

Cover' d with living streams and fadeless flowers, 

Thou paradise serene, 

Eternal joyful hours 

My disembodied soul shall welcome in thy bowers. 

May never was the month of love 

For May is full of flowers 
But April rather wet by kind, 

For love is full of showers. (Robert Southwell) 



From harmony, from heavenly harmony, 

This universal frame began: 

From harmony to harmony 

Through all the compass of the notes it ran, 

The diapason closing full in man. (Dryden.) 

The spirit of the world can call to order sin which is not respectable. 
It can propound wise maxims of public decency and inspire whole- 
some regulations of police. Or, again, there it is, with high principles 
on its lips, discussing the religious vocation of some youth, — while 
it urges discreet delay — and more considerate submissiveness to those 
who love him, and have natural rights to his obedience. (Father Faber) 



44 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 



The pure, pale star of the autumn eve 
Beams from the blue like an angel's eye, 
And softly the wayward wavelets heave 
And sink on the strand with a weary sigh! 

Justice pales, truth fades, stars fall from heaven; 
Human are the great whom we revere; 
No true crown of honor can be given, 
Till the wreath lies on a funeral bier. 

Oh! His rest will be with you in the congress of the great, 

Who are purified by sorrow, and are victors over fate; 

Oh, God's rest will be with you, in the corridors of Fame, 

Which were jubilant with welcome, when Death called out your name. 

And hark! I hear a singing: yet in sooth, 
I cannot of that music rightly say 
Whether I hear or touch, or taste the tones. 
O, what a heart-subduing melody! 



There has not been a sound to-day 
To break the calm of nature 
Nor motion, I might almost say, 
Of life or living creature. 

League not with him in friendship's tie, 
Whose selfish soul is bent on pleasure; 
For he from joy to joy will fly, 
As changes fancy's fickle measure. 

Behold her, ye worldly! behold her, ye vain! 
Who shrink from the pathway of virtue and pain 
Who yield up to pleasure your nights and your days 
Forgetful of service, forgetful of praise. {Gerald Griffin} 



Articulation. 45 

For disciplining the organs, and for acquiring facility 
in the distinct enunciation of difficult combinations, the 
following exercises are invaluable. 
bd, robb'd, sobb'd, mobb'd. 

He was mobb'd by men whose doctrine was, " Might makes Right. " 
bst, dubb'st, drubb'st. 

Why dubb'st thou wise— a dullard? 
biz, marbles, troubles, foibles. 

The foibles of life tickle the sides of Mirth. 
blst, tremb'lst, assemb'lst, enfeebl'st. 

Thou enfeebl'st the cause by temporizing. 
bid, mumbl'd, fumbl'd, humbl'd. 

'Tis but the humbl'd plaint of pride. 
bldst, nibbld'st, grabbld'st, dissembld'st. 

Dissembld'st thou, or didst thou tell the truth? 
bz, tubes, fobs, robes. 

Oh robes of the rich and great! Your texture often dazzles and 

bedims the eyes of justice! 
dlst, meddl'st, handl'st, addl'st. 

Thou meddl'st with all affairs, save thine own. 
did, paddl'd, wheedl'd, fondl'd. 

Many were the fools he wheedl'd. 
didst, dwindl'dst, fondl'dst, kindl'dst. 

Thou kindl'dst in the breast of youth a flame that ne'er will die. 
dnd, glad'n'd, quick'n'd, slack'n'd. 

The sweet whisperings of grace glad'n'd his heart and quick'n'd 

his fervor. 
dnz, burd'ns, lad'ns, gladd'ns. 

Guilt burd'ns the mind. 
dr, dream, drunk, drown, drizzle. 

His dreams were all of fame and wealth — His life, devoid of both. 
dst, would'st, drudg'ds't, hadst. 

When thou didst hate him worst, thou lov'dst him better 

Than ever thou lov'dst Cassius. 
dth, width, breadth. 

The breadth of the world will not satisfy ambition. 
dths, hundredths, wreaths, breadths. 

Six widths of one only equalled four breadths of the other. 



46 Elements of Expression, Vocai, and Physical. 

dzh, allege, ledge, fledge. 

Allege not reasons to which you give no credence yourself. 
dzhd, privileg'd, enrag'd, gorg'd. 

His barbarity could be gorg'd with blood alone. 
fist, rifl'st, shuffl'st, muffl'st. 

Thou shuffl'st in vain the cards of error: they always come forth 
with the counterfeit value on their faces, and can only take the mean- 
est tricks. 
fldst, rifl'd'st, shuffl'd'st, muffl'd'st. 

Thou rifl'd'st the homes of the weak and unprotected, and 
count 'd'st it an honorable deed? 
fnz y tough 'ns, puffins, deaf'ns. 

The religion of Christ soft'ns the heart of the most barbarous 

nation. 

fnd, fright 'n'd, strenght'n'd, height 'n'd. 

In vain that cause is strenght'n'd that has not justice for 
its basis. 

fts, handicrafts, drafts, rafts. 

And lo! the crafts are mercilessly seized by hungry waves that 
roar themselves hoarse with glee as they view the floating 
timbers of the once united rafts. 

fst, doff'st, scoff 'st, quaff 'st. 

Vile slave! doff'st thou not thy fusty castor to the king, thy liege 
lord and master? 

ftst, ingraft 'st, draught 'st, waft'st. 

O Patriotism, thou ingraft 'st upon the tree of liberty the scions 
of religious toleration! 

fths, fifty-fifths, twelfths. 

Two fifths and seven twelfths=:fifty nine sixtieths. 
gd, digg'd, shrugg'd, wagg'd. 

Deep he digg'd into the stubborn earth until greeted by the glitter- 
ing ore. 

gdst, tugg'dst, lagg'dst. 

Thou tugg'dst in vain with fortune; the hope of riches which thou 
hugg'dst is illusory. 
gld, strangl'd, spangl'd, wrangl'd. 

The captive's hope was strangl'd by the stern demeanor of his 
judge. 

gist, tingl'st, inveigl'st, struggl'st. 



Articulation. 47 

Thou struggl'st bravely with adversity and wilt not be overcome. 
gldst, juggl'dst, jingl'dst, bungl'dst. 

If thou bungl'dst this care 
From thy office forbear. 

gst, bring'st, sing'st, lagg'st. 

O childhood! thou bring' st the most fragrant, unselfish, and ac- 
ceptable offerings to the altar of friendship! 

kid, tinkl'd, rankl'd, sparkl'd. 

The tiny bells which sweetly tinkl'd, 
Sweet thoughts of home evoked. 

kldst, tinkl'dst, rankl'dst, sparkl'dst. 

Thou, mercy, more brightly sparkl'dst in the royal diadem than 
any precious stone. 
klz, wrinkl's, trickl's, stickl's. 

He stickl's for injustice more zealously than the champions of 
truth for their cause. 

klst y cackl'st, speekl'st, sprinkl'st. 

Thou cackl'st, but unlike the cackling of the geese of Rome, thine 
arouses — laughter. 

knd, heark'nd, dark'nd, lik'nd. 

He heark'nd to the voice of mourning, 
And dried the tears of distress. 

kndst, reck'nd'st, beck'nd'st, wak'nd'st. 

Oh, Power! When thou beck'nd'st flattery and hypocrisy, arm 
in arm, hasten to comply. 

kst, text, ach'st, break'st. 

Thou break'st the laws of heaven and of earth and yet thou talk'st 
of harmony. Harmony begins to pine when estranged from 
order. 

Jets, erects, protects, cataracts. 

He erects a monument, which never shall crumble, and which the 
future shall not cease to admire, and whereon is written! — Spotless 

Reputation. 
ktst y lock'dst, peck'dst, hack'dst. 

Thou lock'dst thy heart against the gentle knocks of grace and 
now 'tis stony grown. 

IdZy scolds, scalds, unfolds. 

His life unfolds the inward peace and beauty of the just. 
Idsty yield'st, mouldst, withhokTst. 



48 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Yield 'st thou without a struggle to such a craven? 
Imst, calm'st, embalm 'st, overwhermst. 

Thou unwritten music of nature, calm'st the troubled heart and 
burdened soul. 
Ipsty gulp 'dst, help'dst, yelp 'dst. 

O Charity! thou help'dst those who could not help themselves. 
Iths, commonwealths, filths, healths. 

The glory of commonwealths is bright honor and justice. 
Itst, moult'st, revolt 'st, exalt'st. 

Religion! thou exalt'st humanity to the skies. 
Ivst, revolv'st, delv'st, absolv'st. 

Delv'st thou in knowledge mines 
With hopes of fame or wealth? 
mdst, maim'dst, inflam'dst, defam'dst. 

Thou maim'dst virtue when thou defam'dst R. D. — 

mfs, nymphs, lymphs, triumphs. 

The greatest triumphs are those silent, unpretentious ones o'er self. 

mpst, bump'st, romp'st, damp'st. 

Why damp'st thou youthful enthusiasm? 
mst, proclaim'st, redeem 'st, bloom'st. 

Thou proclaim'st thyself valiant thou white-livered braggart. 
ndgst, sting' dst, prolong' dst, ring'dst. 

With thy cruelty thou prolong 'dst warfare while peace was mourn- 
ing and imploring for reunion. 
ndzh, cringe, singe, expunge. 

Cringe, cringe sycophants! beneath the glance of Power! 
ndzhd, sing'd, aveng'd, estrang'd. 

His manes aveng'd, he ceased commerce with mortals. 
ntsht, munch 'd, pinch 'd, quench 'd. 

He ne'er quench 'd his thirst at the Pierian spring. 
nths, sixteenths, labyrinths, months. 

Months are labyrinths of time. 
ntst, print 'st, grunt 'st, haunt 'st. 

Haunt 'st thou the editor with a still-born poem? 
nz, rains, refrains, feigns. 
It rains, it rains, 
The sweet refrains 
Of crystal drops on window panes, 
My heart and soul enchains. 



Articulation. 49 

pldst, sampl'dst, crumpl'dst, toppl'dst. 
Thou easily toppl'dst Error's Monument. 

plz, temples, dimples, ripples. 

The buoyant ripples chased one another in glee and flirted with 
the coquettish sunbeams that peeped through the gently-stirring 
foliage of the tamarind. 

plst, toppl'st, sampl'st, rippl'st. 

Thrice thou sampl'st the hospitality of thine enemy and found it 
generous and ample. 

pt, hopp'd, kept, equipp'd. 

Ye are all equipp'd? We are. Farewell then, Home! with the 
charms, which make thee dear. 

pts, adepts, precepts, excepts. 

Adepts are rare, where diligence and persevering practice are rare. 
rbdst, disturb' dst, absorb' dst, curb'dst. 

Thou absorb 'dst attention, but the hearts of thy auditors remain 
cold and clayey. 
rdz, chords, rewards, girds. 

The minor chords of humility breathe greater peace and joy than 
the loftiest majors of exultation. 
rdst, bombard 'st, retard 'st, disregard 'st. 

Disregard 'st thou the ingenuous voice of friendship? 
rdzh, purge, surcharge, scourge. 

A scourge should be placed in every loyal American hand, to lash 
the traitor around this Land of Liberty. 
rktst, embark'dst, perk 'dst, smirk 'dst. 

Thou embark'dst pilotless in a boundless sea. 
rldst, twirl 'dst, purl 'dst, uncurl 'dst. 

O Fate, thou uncurl 'dst the locks of time. 
rmdsty harm 'dst, inform 'dst, alarm 'dst. 

Thou harm 'dst not me by depriving me of life, the loss is all thine 
own. 
rndsty yearn 'dst, discern 'dst, suborn 'dst. 

O youth, thou yearn 'dst for home — it is thy world! 
rstSy bursts, worsts, thirsts. 

The beacon of faith bursts through the doubtful darkness and 
illumines the perilous way. 
rtst, pervert 'st, depart 'st, convert 'st. 

Depart 'st thou without a single word to cheer thee on the way? 



50 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

rvdst, observ'dst, starv'dst, subserv'dst. 

Avarice thou starv'dst thyself for the sake of that which thou shalt 
not enjoy. 

rvst, starv'st, deserv'st, reserv'st. 

Thou prudently reserv'st thy strength for the final onset. 
sf, sphacel, sphex, spheral. 

The spheric beauty of the dome evoked the admiration of all. 
hr, shroud, shrivel, shrift. 

The shroud may soon envelop the graceful form we praise. 
skr, scrape, screed, scrimp. 

He was such a scrimp that any screed against him would be justi- 
fiable. 

sks, basilisks, burlesques, masks. 

Doggerel is best adapted to burlesques in poetry. 
skst, bask'st, husk'st, ask'st. 

Husk'st thou the golden ears? 
slst, bustl'st, tussl'st, nestl'st. 

Thou bustl'st around as officiously as a person who has know- 
ledge for his guide. 
snz y lessens, heightens, havens. 

The havens of peace are nigh to the turbid waters of contention. 
snst, moist 'n'st, height 'n'st, quick 'n'st. 

Thou moist 'n'st the brow of suffering with tears of sympathy. 
spSy wasps, wisps, cusps. 

It is strange that wasps which feed on the sweets of flowers should 
have such sour dispositions. 
sts, breasts, outcasts, nests. 

On the last day when the breasts of all shall be unburdened before 
all, we shall know our friends. 
stst, forecast 'st, persist 'st, overcast 'st. 

Forecast 'st thou consquences in accordance with the dictates of 
prudence? 
ths, troths, drouths, wreaths. 

Time hath not made one cycle ere their plighted troths were 
broken. 
thd, bequeath 'd, smooth' d, sheath' d. 

He bequeath 'd his family that priceless inheritance — a noble ex- 
ample, an unsullied name. 
thz, scath's, swath's, tith's. 



Articulation. 5 1 

He scath 's the memory of the man whom he feared when living. 
thst, breath 'st, loath'st, smooth 'st. 

Thou loath'st climbing and yet wouldst fain ascend? 
tlst, whittl'st, battl'st, prattl'st. 

Battl'st thou against fortune's decrees? 
tldst, whittl'dst, battl'dst, prattl'dst. 

Thou prattl'dst the drowsy hours away. 
tsht, attach'd, sketch 'd, couch'd. 

He that is attach'd truly to virtue's cause must be virtuous. 
tshst, vouch 'dst, scorch' dst, search' dst. 

Vouch 'dst thou for the character of X — ? Then thine own char- 
acter needs a voucher. 
vdst, engrav'dst, retriev'dst, behoov'dst. 

Thou retriev'dst by thy kindness innumerable faults. 
vlst, swivTst, lev'l'st, rev'l'st. 

Thou rev'l'st while dear ones at home are weeping and starving. 
viz, hovels, grovels, travels. 

Visit hovels, and contemplate human misery. 
vz, hives, groves, sleeves. 

The groves are musical with living hives. 
vst, improv'st, conniv'st, pav'st. 

Thou improv'st thy mind and heart by closely observing the 
beauties of nature. 
znd, impris'n'd, reas'n'd, seas'n'd. 

It is only the seas'n'd bark that may safely tempt the wave. 
znz, treasons, mizzens, emblazons. 

Treasons, treasons! brood of irreligion! 



Although not strictly within the domain of articulation 
we submit some remarks here on correct pronunciation, 
that may be of aid to speakers. The student of oratory 
should strive for an absolutely correct pronunciation. 

Constantly consult the best dictionaries. If you make 
lists of words that you ordinarily hear mispronounced and 
frequently consult the list, and if you take the time to read 
the authorities when you hear other speakers differ from 



52 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

your custom of pronouncing, you will soon avoid many 
faults that are daily committed by even the educated 
classes. 

We insert here a few of the ordinary mistakes that have 
come under our notice, in a short time, while associating 
with otherwise educated and cultured friends. The use 
of the short sound of a where the Italian a alone is permitted, 
in such words as calf, half, palm, aunt, laugh, etc. The 
use of oo sound for u in words like duke, news, duty, lute, 
sue, tune, etc. It should never be pronounced like long 
oo unless preceded by the sound of r, ch, sh, or zh, v. g., 
brute, (the oo sound) as also in chew, azure, sure, etc. 
Frequent mispronunciations of the short o are common ; v. 
g., dawg for dog, off, often, soft, etc. 

We do not ask the student of oratory to be overly fasti- 
dious. Many who use this manual may appear in the 
pulpit and we point out to them a greater authority than 
our own in this matter. St. Paul says: "Let all things 
be done decently and according to order." Incorrect 
pronunciation is neither "decent nor according to order" 
for it is as bad as incorrect grammar in the pulpit. Any 
clergyman would be ashamed of the utterance of the sen- 
tence: "The good angels done the holy will of God." Why 
is this any less "decent or according to order" than the 
saying of plenary for plenary, groat for grawt, heenyous 
for haynous, Gethsemanee for Gethsemani, Jairus for 
Jal"rus, a trisyllable, Dives for Dives, a dissyllable. Cyrene 
is a word of three syllables accented on the second. 

In contending for correctness of pronunciation we are 
in good company, for we are joining hands with one of 
the oldest and most scholarly magazines for clergymen, 
The American Ecclesiastical Review, which admits very 
extended articles on the subject into its valuable space. 
A writer therein lately called attention to the bad ortho- 



Articulation. 53 

epy of the clergy. He claims that many mistakes are made 
in this commonplace sentence: "My dear brethren, it is 
ordinarily a good plan for those who are conversant with 
the Douay version of the Bible to read therein the ver- 
nacular rendering of the introit, the epistle, and the gospeL 
of each Sunday's mass." This sentence contains no un- 
common words and yet five out of ten speakers will make a. 
number of mistakes in pronunciation while rendering it«- 
Our writer calls attention to the ordinary errors thus: 
"Brethren" is a word of two syllables, with the accent on 
the first, and with the vowel sound of short e (as in met) 
in both; yet, who has not heard it pronounced "Bruthrun" 
or " Breth-eren " ? "Ordinarily" has the primary accent 
on the first, not the third syllable; "conversant" is also 
accented on the first and "with" is not a rhyme for pith, 
its th being vocal as in "breathe." "Douay" has the. 
accent on the second syllable; the third vowel in "verna- 
cular" is the modified long u, not short u or short T; "in- 
troit" is a word of three syllables with the accent on the se- 
cond; 

"Though perhaps you don't know it, 

Still the word is introit ;" 
and finally the t in epistle is silent. 

This very brief lesson on pronunciation is intended to 
take away the self-assurance some have in themselves where 
it is not at all justified. 



IBB 



CHAPTER IV. 



(Sesture 

Probably the best definition of gesture ever given is that of 
Delsarte: "Gesture is the manifestation of the being through 
the activities of the body." Accepting this definition, we 
acknowledge that Gesture should come in answer to the inward 
impulse, or motive, and should be an outward expression of 
that motive or emotion. 

The student who would rest satisfied with mastering a 
number of formal Gestures, expressive of different meanings 
would utterly fail to grasp the correct idea of gesture. It is 
such as he who bring odium on the art of Elocution by put- 
ing on gestures instead of allowing them to flow from within. 
A gesture put on is as inartistic as a purple patch on a pair 
of jeans. The Gesture must portray some emotion existing 
in the being. If the emotion within does not move the speak- 
er to action, he is soulless and all the grace of a Roscius 
would not make a good speaker of him. There is, no doubt, 
such a thing as the cultivation of those emotions, those im- 
pulses to action. The training of the soul in virtue, and of 
the mind in the arts and sciences, tends to develop in man 
keener perception and stronger emotions. The better our 
lives are the quicker do we shrink from evil; the more thor- 
ough our education is, the more easily do we distinguish be- 
tween truth and falsehood. It may be noticed that artists, 
owing to to their refined sensibilities, are more sensitive 



Gesture. 55 

than others. They have unconsciously developed this sen- 
sitive nature by close application to the niceties and fine 
points of their art. 

However the development of the emotions in man is not 
the chief aim of elocution. Elocution is to teach the correct, 
and therefore, the artistic portrayal of the emotions. 

Professor Brown, in his ''Philosophy of Expression," 
says: "A single caution should be whispered in the ear of 
the earnest student of technical gesture. We put our 
suggestions in two apothegms: I. Conscious technique 
kills expression. II. A gesture put on is a grimace. It has 
no art-expression." 

N aturalness in gesture is only present when self is sup- 
pressed and the inward emotion spurs us on to action. 
Before you will be able to express the emotions of the soul 
correctly, you must become as the child, without self-con- 
sciousness. What is truer to nature, and at the same 
time more graceful than the little child! It manifests 
artlessly and, yet, artistically, the emotions it feels. We 
will say, its mother is returning home. The little eyes 
light up with interest, the face begins to smile, and the 
whole impulse of the little body is forward to the loved 
one. Here you have gesture and its correct sequence; 
eye, face, arm, and posture of body. In applying our- 
selves to the study of gesture, we should copy this model: 
for here nature speaks untrammeled by art. He that is 
always straining after effect, will lose in the impression he 
would make. We must relax, not strain. We must learn 
to suppress self, and let the inward emotion give the impulse 
to action. 

A course in the Relaxation of the different muscles of 
the body is, therfore, highly necessary in order to fit us for 
portraying the emotions. By Relaxation is meant the 
taking of the will power away from the muscles and allowing 
the limb to hang as if dead. We try by this means to 



56 Elements of Expression, Vocai, and Physical. 

get rid of self-consciousness in the muscles, in order to let 
nature take its place. In other words, it is the relaxation 
of that tension which opposes natural grace of motion. 
By practice of the exercises in relaxation given below, the 
student will invigorate the muscles, and free the joints of 
the body so that each part of it will be not only free, but 
fitted to give the most exact response to the promptings of 
the inner emotion. These exercises are based on the laws 
laid down by Francois Delsarte, the great Catholic phi- 
losopher of expression. We do not give all that might be 
given; but exercises for the other muscles of the body will 
suggest themslves to the earnest student. Be not back- 
ward in practicing them, for relaxation, far from produ- 
cing an artificial mode of expression, enhances it vastly 
by giving the speaker a body fitted and eager to portray 
the inmost emotions of the soul spontaneously and har- 
moniously. Diligent practice of the following Exercises 
will tend to remove all awkwardness. 



Exercises in IRelaxation 
%cge 

Stand with weight of body on right foot. Withdraw 
energy from the muscles of the left leg and swing it by 
a rotary movement of the upper body. Change to left 
foot and go through same motion with right. Practice 
each of the movements given for about thirty seconds. 
Energize from hip to knee-joint and raise the leg having 
lower part relaxed, or decomposed. Drop the leg as if lifeless. 

Zoxeo 

Stand in Fourth Attitude. Withdraw energy from 
the neck muscles and let the head drop to the breast. With- 



Gesture. 57 

draw energy from the torso, or waist, and drop the trunk 
forward as far as it will go. Swing the relaxed part in a 
rotary motion, the energy coming from the lower limbs. 

IRecfc 

Decompose the neck and allow the head to drop for- 
ward. Raise and allow it to drop as if lifeless to the right 
and to the left sides and backward. By movements of 
the body cause the head to rotate. You must be careful 
not to carry the head to these different directions. Incline 
the body that way and let the head drop to its place. 

Hrms 

Raise the arms from the side toward each other till the 
fingers touch above the head. Withdraw will-power from 
the muscles and allow them to drop. Raise the arms in 
front and when the hands point to the zenith drop life- 
lessly as before. De-energize arm from shoulder down, 
and sway the body causing arm to swing loosely in all di- 
rections. Raise arm from shoulder, bend elbow, causing 
fore-arm to hang at right angle to upper arm, de-energize 
fore-arm and shake up and down. 

DanD anD THariat 

Grasp the right hand firmly with the left, placing left- 
thumb on palm of right hand and the fingers of left hand 
on back of right. Decompose fingers of right hand and 
shake vigorously with the left. Exercise the fingers of 
left hand in the same manner. Withdraw the energy from 
right hand and, with palm toward the floor, shake up and 
down by means of the fore-arm muscles. Hold the hand 
with the side to the floor. Shake on the wrist as before. 
Hold it with the palm upward and shake. Put the left 
hand through the same relaxing exercises. 



58 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

These exercises should be practiced daily, devoting about 
fifteen minutes of each class hour to the purpose for a num- 
ber of days, until the limbs and joints are under the perfect 
control of the will. Then the outward expression of the 
different emotions will be ready to be artistically produced. 
It will no longer be mechanical expression, but nature 
speaking through the unobstructed channels of action. 
This is true art in oratory as defined by the great American, 
Daniel Webster, when speaking of the eloquence of action: 
''It comes, if it come at all, like the outbreaking of a foun- 
tain from the earth, or the bursting forth of volcanic fires, 
with spontaneous, original, native force." 



11 1 



CHAPTER V. 



ffovce 

Force is the degree of power used in the production of tone. 
Stress is the application of force. 

Every-day experience shows that different sentiments 
require a different use of Force. Dr. Rush, in his admirable 
work on the human voice, speaking on this matter, says: 
"Secrecy muffles itself against discovery by a whisper; 
and doubt, while leaning toward a positive declaration, 
cunningly subdues his voice, that the impression of his 
possible error may be least exciting and durable. Cer- 
tainty, on the other hand, in the confident desire to be 
heard, is positive, distinct, and forcible. Anger declares 
itself with energy, because its charges and denials are made 
with a wide appeal, and in its own sincerity of conviction. 
A like degree of force is employed for passions congenial 
with anger; as hate, ferocity, revenge. All thoughts un- 
becoming or disgraceful, smother the voice, with a desire 
to conceal even the voluntary utterance of them. Joy 
calls aloud for companionship in the overflowing charity 
of its satisfaction. Bodily pain, fear and terror, are also 
forcible in their expression; with the double intention, of 
summoning relief, and repelling the offending cause when 
it is a sentient being." 

In treating of Force, we must consider first, the mode of 
exerting it, or Form, and second, the amount of force which 
we employ, or Degree. 



60 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

JForm 

The form of force may be Effusive, Expulsive, or Ex- 
plosive. 

The Effusive Form manifests itself by a smooth flow of 
sound, avoiding all abrupt and sudden utterance. As an 
example from nature we adduce the moaning of the wind. 

It is principally used in giving expression to pathos, 
awe, reverence, repose. 

EXAMPLES 

Xincoln's Xetter to a /Bbotber 

Executive Mansion, 
Washington, Nov., 21, 1864. 
To Mrs. Bixby, Boston, Mass. 
Dear Madam: 

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement 
of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of 
five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how 
weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt 
to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I can- 
not refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found 
in the thanks of the republic they died to save. I pray that our Hea- 
venly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave 
you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn 
pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the 
altar of freedom. 

Yours very sincerely and respectfully, 



A. Lincoln 



From XLbe Xost Cboro 

I do not know what I was playing, 
Or what I was dreaming then; 
But I struck one chord of music; 
Like the sound of a great Amen. 

I have sought, but I seek it vainly, 
That one lost chord divine, 
Which came from the soul of the organ, 
And entered into mine. 



Force. 6i 

It may be that Death's bright angel 

Will speak in that chord again, 

It may be that only in Heaven 

I shall hear that grand Amen. (A. A. Procter) 

From *>amlet Act III. 

To be, or not to be, — that is the question: 
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind, to suffer 
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, 
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, 
And by opposing end them. (Shakespeare) 

From Ht peace 

Clasp close the wearied hands, O Rest! 
Poor hands, so thin and feeble grown 
With all the task which they have done; 
Now they are finished, everyone. 

O happy Rest, 
Fold them at last from laboring, 
In quiet on the quiet breast, 

O Rest, sweet Rest! 
Press close unto her heart, O Death! 
So close, not any pulse may stir 
The garments of her sepulchre; 
Lo, life hath been so sad to her! 

O kindest Death, 
Within thy safest sheltering 
Nor pain nor sorrow entereth — 

O Death, sweet Death! (Ina Coolbrith) 



The Expulsive Form of voice is that in which the sound 
is emitted as in conversation, not smooth-flowing but sud- 
denly and quickly. In nature the expulsive sound is heard 
in the gurgling waters of a brook passing over some slight 
obstructions or in the chattering of a flock of birds. It 
is a median between the effusive and the explosive, and 
hence we find it used in all ordinary speech, such as de- 
scriptive and colloquial language. 



62 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

EXAMPLES 
From ©tbellO Act II. 

Iago. What, are you hurt, lieutenant? 

Cassio. Ay, past all surgery. 

Iago. Many, heaven forbid! 

Cas. Reputation, reputation, reputation! O! I have lost my repu- 
tation. I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains 
is bestial. — My reputation, Iago, my reputation! 

Iago. As I am an honest man, I thought you had received some 
bodily wound; there is more offence in that, than in reputation. Re- 
putation is an idle and most false imposition, oft got without merit, 
and lost without deserving; you have lost no reputation at all, unless 
you repute yourself such a loser. What, man! there are ways to re- 
cover the general again; you are but now cast in his mood, a punish- 
ment more in policy than in malice; even so as one would beat his 
offenceless dog, to affright an imperious lion. Sue to him again, and 
and he's yours. (Shakespeare) 

From Gbe 2Hrm£ of tbe XorD 

Where sin and crime are dwelling, hid from the light of day, 

And life and hope are failing at Death's cold touch away, 

Where dying eyes in horror see the long forgotten past; 

Christ's servants claim the sinner, and gain his soul at last. 

Where the rich and proud and mighty God's message would defy 

In warning and reproof His anointed ones stand by; 

Bright are the crowns of glory God keeepeth for His own, 

Their life one sigh for heaven, their aim His will alone. (A. A. Procter) 

From tbamlet Act III. 

Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trip- 
pingly on the tongue; but if you mouth it, as many of your players 
do, I had as lief the town-crier spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the 
air too much with your hand, thus: but use all gently: for in the very 
torrent, tempest, and (as I might say) whirlwind of passion, you must 
acquire and beget a temperance, that may give it smoothness. O! 
it offends me to the soul, to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow 
tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the ground- 
lings; who, for the most part, are capable of nothing but inexplicable 



Force. 63 

dumb shows and noise; I would have such a fellow whipped for o'er 
doing Termagant; it out-herods Herod; pray you avoid it. — 

{Shakespeare) 

From Cbe Jla^ anD tbe Cross 

Lift up the flag, yes, set it high beside yon gleaming Cross, 

Close to the standard of the cause that never shall know loss. 

Lift praising voice, lift pleading hand, the world must hear and see 

The soldiers of the Cross of Christ most loyal, dear flag, to thee. 

But wherefore speak of loyalty? Who fears a watching world? 

When have we flinched or fled from thee since first thou wert unfurled? 

Carroll and Moylan spoke for us, and Barry on the seas, 

And a third of thy sturdy cradle guard — no Arnold among these. 

And yet they call us Aliens, and yet they doubt our faith — 

The men who stood not with our hosts when test of faith was death: 

Who never shed a drop of blood when ours was shed like rain, 

That not a star should fall from thee nor thy great glory wane. 

{Eleanor 0' Grady) 



The Explosive Form is illustrated in nature by the boom 
of a cannon, the clang of the smith's hammer and the 
clapping of hands. In this form of voice the sound is emit- 
ted with great abruptness. It is most commonly used to 
express extreme joy, hate, defiance, anger, terror. 

EXAMPLES 

Hail, St. Gabriel! hail! a thousand hails 
For thine whose music still prevails 
In the world's listening ear! 
Angelic Word! send forth to tell 
How the Eternal Word should dwell 
Amid His creatures here! {Father Faber) 

From Zbe prince's progress 

"Up, up," called the watchman lark, 
In his clear reveille; "Hearken, O hark! 
Press to the high goal, fly to the mark. 

Up, O sluggard, new mom is born; 
If still asleep when the night falls dark. 



€4 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Thou must wait a second morn. 
"Up, up, up," sad glad voices swelled: 
* "So the tree falls and lies as it's felled. 

Be thy hand loosed, O sleeper, long held 
In sweet sleep whose end is not sweet." (C. G. Rossetti) 

From /Hbercbant of IDentce Act III. 

Shylock. How now, Tubal? what news from Genoa? hast thou, 
found my daughter? 

Tubal. I oft came where I did hear of her, but cannot find her. 

Shy. Why there, there, there, there! a diamond gone, cost me 
two thousand ducats in Frankfort. — No ill luck stirring, but what 
light's o' my shoulders: no sighs but o' my breathing; no tears but 
o' my sheddding. 

Tub. Yes, other men have ill luck too. Antonio, as I heard in 
Genoa — 

Shy. What, what, what? ill luck? 

Tub. — hath an argosy cast away coming from Tripolis? 

Shy. I thank God! I thank God! Is it true? is it true? 

Tub. I spoke with some of the sailors that escaped the wreck. 

Shy. I thank thee, good Tubal. — Good news, good news! ha! ha! 

(Shakespeare) 

From ©tbellO Act I. 

Othello. Holla! stand there! 

Roderigo. Signor, it is the Moor. 

Brabantio. Down with him, thief! 

Oth. Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them.- — 
Good signor, you shall more command with years than with your 
weapons. (Shakespeare) 



2)egree 

Degree, for practical purposes, may be divided into 
Subdued, Moderate, Energetic, Impassioned. 

Peaceful, sad, and tender emotions are correctly ren- 
dered in the Subdued Force. 



Force 65 

EXAMPLES 
From Zbe GbirO Dolor 

Three days she seeks her child in vain; 
He Who vouchsafes that holy woe 
And makes the gates -of glory pain, 
He, He alone its depths can know. 

She wears the garment He must wear, 
She tastes His Chalice! From a cross 
Unseen she cries, Where art thou, where? 
Why hast thou me forsaken thus? 

With feebler hand she touches first 
That sharpest thorn in all His Crown 
Worse than the Nails, the Reed, the Thirst, 
Seeming Desertion's icy frown. {Aubrey Be Vere.) 

From Gbe (Stave 

The Grave, it is deep and soundless, 
And canopied over with clouds; 
And trackless and dim and boundless 
Is the Unknown Land that it shrouds. 

Yet everywhere else shall mortals 
For peace unavailingly roam: 
Except through the Shadowy Portals 
Goeth none to his genuine home! 

And the heart that Tempest and Sorrow 

Have beaten against for years, 

Must look for a sunnier morrow 

Beyond this Temple of Tears. (J. C. Mangan) 

From fn /ifcemotE of 1foie ffrieuO 

A shadow slept folded in vestments, 

The dream of a smile on his face, 

Dim, soft as the gleam after sunset 

That hangs like a halo of grace, 

Where the daylight hath died in the valley, 

And the twilight hath taken its place — 



66 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

A shadow! but still on the mortal 

There rested the tremulous trace 

Of the joy of a spirit immortal, 

Passed up to its God in His grace. 

A shadow! hast seen in the summer 

A cloud wear the smile of the sun ? 

On the shadow of death there is flashing 

The glory of noble deeds done: 

On the face of the dead there is glowing 

The light of a holy race run; 

And the smile of the face is reflecting, 

The gleam of the crown he has won. {Father Ryan) 

From Soutb Sea ITD^Ie 

I shall never see little Joe again, with his pitiful face, growing grad- 
ually as dreadful as a cobra's, and almost as fascinating in its hid- 
eousness. I waited, a little way off in the darkness, waited and 
listened, till the last song was ended, and I knew he would be looking 
for me to say good night. But he did not find me, and he will never 
again find me in this life, for I left him sitting in the dark door of his 
sepulchre — sitting and singing in the mouth of his grave — clothed 
all in Death. {Charles W. Stoddard) 

The Moderate differs only in a slight degree from the 
Subdued. It is commonly used in conversation and un- 
excited speech. 

EXAMPLES 
From Julius Ceasar 

Brutus. Sheathe your dagger. 

Be angry when you will, it shall have scope; 
Do what you will, dishonor shall be humor. 
O Cassius! you are yoked with a lamb, 
That carries anger as the flint bears fire, 
Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark, 
And straight is cold again. {Shakespeare) 

From Down at Gaiton'6 

Things great and grand must be left unto that day when the poet, 
untrammelled by worldly care, shall write his heart's dream. If the 



Force 67 

time ever comes, the poet learns in sorrow that his dreams will never 
float into human speech, for the hand has lost its cunning. So the days 
of youth and manhood pass, blowing bubbles or decorating platitudes. 
Death snatches the poetling, and oblivion is his coverlid, The song 
he sang died with the rabble. The new generation asked for a poet 
that could drill into the human heart and bring forth its secrets — a 
listener to nature, her interpreter to man. (Walter Lecky) 

From XLbc (3arfcen £bat 1f %ox>e 

I have no desire to invent anything, but only to preserve and 
perpetuate those things which have long been found good. The 
society of days gone by is the most friendly and congenial of all forms 
of companionship, for one peoples and composes it according to the 
humour of one's imagination. I have never been able to understand 
why, seeing that one's mother is the most sacred of all human figures, 
people's grandmothers should have become a theme for poor and pro- 
fane wit. Grandmothers, great-grandmothers, great-great-grandmoth- 
ers, I know, and delight in knowing, had sat in the ingle-nooks of 
what I that day resolved should be my home: all comely, all with 
spotless lace caps and cuffs and 'kerchiefs, all kindly, all deferred to, 
all the real guardian angels of the place. (Alfred Austin) 

The Energetic is used in patriotic, bold and grand senti- 
timents. 

EXAMPLE vS 
From Iking Hear Act IV. 

Edgar. Draw thy sword; 
That if my speech offend a noble heart 
Thy arm might do thee justice: here is mine. 
Behold it is the privilege of mine honours, 
My oath, and my profession: I protest, — 
Maugre thy strength, youth, place, and eminence, 
Despite thy victor sword, and fire-new fortune, 
Thy valor and thy heart, — thou art a traitor; 
False to thy gods, thy brother, and thy father; 
Conspirant 'gainst this high illustrious prince; 
And from the extremest upward of thy head, 
To the descent and dust beneath thy feet, 
A most toad-spotted traitor. Say thou, No, 
This sword, this arm, and my best spirits, are bent 



68 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

To prove upon thy heart, whereto I speak, 
Thou liest. {Shakespeare) 

From Zhc ITrtsb Disturbance JBtll 

If ever I doubted before of the success of our agitation for repeal 
this bill, this infamous bill, the way it has been received by the House, 
the manner in which its opponents have been treated, the personalities 
to which they have been subjected, the yells with which one of them 
has this night been greeted — all these things dissipate my doubts, 
and tell me of its complete and early triumph. Do you think those 
yells will be forgotten? Do you suppose their echo will not reach 
the plains of my injured and insulted country; that they will not be 
whispered in her green valleys, and heard from her lofty hills? Oh! 
they will be heard there! Yes and they will not be forgotten. The 
youth of Ireland will bound with indignation; they will say, "We are 
eight millions; and you treat us thus, as though we were no more to 
your country than the isle of Guernsey or of Jersey! (D. O'Connell) 

From 2Hn HDDreee to tbe American Catboltc Congress 

The shadow of an imposing event begins to move. The people 
of the United States and of the hemisphere are about to celebrate 
the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America. We 
heartily rejoice in this resolve. That tremendous event, that with 
reverence I may call the second creation, the finding of a new world, 
and the vast results that have flowed to humanity, can be traced di- 
rectly to the Catholic Church and the Roman Catholic Church alone. 
Protestantism was unknown when America was discovered. Let the 
students and the scholars search the archives of Spain, and the li- 
braries of Europe, and the deeper the search the more glory will adorn 
the brow of Catholicity. It was a pious Catholic who conceived the 
mighty thought. It was when foot-sore and down-hearted at the 
porch of a monastery that hope dawned on him. It was a monk 
who first encouraged him. It was a Cardinal who interceded with the 
sovereigns of Spain. It was a Catholic King who fitted out the ships. 
It was a Catholic Queen who offered her jewels as a pledge. It was 
the Catholic Columbus and a Catholic crew that sailed out upon an 
unknown sea where ship had never sailed before. It was to spread 
the Catholic faith that the sublime risk was run. It was the prayer 
to the Blessed Mother that each night closed the perils of the day and 
inspired the hopes of the morrow. It was the Holy Cross, the emblem 
of Catholicity, that was carried to the shore and planted on the new- 



Force. 6q 

found world. It was the Sacrifice of the Mass that was the first, 
and for a hundred years, the only Christian offering upon this virgin 
land. (Daniel Dougherty) 



The greatest degree of force, the Impassioned, is used 
in extremes of vehemence, terror, and the fiercer passions; 
also in calling or shouting. 

EXAMPLES 

From 5ultus Caesar Act I. 

And do you now put on your best attire? 

And do you now cull out a holiday? 

And do you now strew flowers in his way 

That comes in triumph over Pompey's blood? 

Be gone! 

Run to your houses, fall upon your knees, 

Pray to the gods to intermit the plague 

That needs must light on this ingratitude. {Shakespeare) 

From /Iftercbant of Venice Act III. 

I'll have my bond; I will not hear thee speak: 

I'll have my bond, and therefore speak no more. 

I'll not be made a soft and dull-eye'd fool, 

To shake the head, relent, and sigh, and yield 

To Christian intercessors. Follow not; 

I'll have no speaking: I will have my bond. (Shakespeare) 

From /Ifoacbetb Act III. 

Avaunt! and quit my sight. Let the earth hide thee! 

Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; 

Thou hast no speculation in those eyes, 

Which thou dost glare with. (Shakespeare) 

From Gbe IfoiDfcen (Sem Act I. 

Bibulus. Farewell, sycophant! farewell, indeed? No, not yet. — 
There shall be moaning over death in this house before / go to en- 



7o Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

counter it. After this cruel doom, who will blame me if I seek to escape 
it? — Yet there again comes the question who is doing this? Proculus. 
Then ought not my vengeance to fall on him? 

Warily, calmly — let us weigh this. {Cardinal Wiseman) 



Force must be applied judiciously. The use of great 
force, in a small auditorium, would indicate a poor speaker, 
for above all, a speaker should be a man of culture and 
only a boor would try " to split the ears of the groundlings. " 
Nothing so bespeaks the tyro as impassioned force used 
injudiciously. The common conversational pitch is the 
tone to build from. In a large hall, care must be taken 
that sentences spoken in subdued force are audible to the 
entire audience. In this matter, there may be three dif- 
ficulties to overcome. First, the size of the hall, second, 
the defective acoustics, and third, the presence of a large 
audience. In any of these three cases an increase of force 
is necessar}^. Besides this, you may aid yourself greatly 
by speaking more slowly and articulating more distinctly. 
Never allow the pitch of voice to increase to a shout, unless 
some particulai passage demands it. Speak to those that are 
farthest from you. In this way the sound will be projected, 
and by not shouting you will avoid disgusting those closest 
to you. A person adapting his force to the surroundings 
can pronounce the scrongest of invectives in a parlor with- 
out offending any one. A rule of judging as to whether 
one is using sufficient force is to watch those farthest from 
you. If you see them lean forward, the hand to the ear, 
it is significant language. The force, or the pitch, or better 
still the articulation needs more care. 

Another tendency to error in force, which you must 
avoid, is imitation. Do not think that because some 
ideal of yours brings out a passage in thunder tones, that 
you must do the same or fail entirely. Your voice may 
be inadequate to the effort. Ape no man. Use your own 



Force. 71 

scale; bestow your force, so that there is a reserve power 
left to you, and he content. The most vociferous is by no 
means the best or the most appreciated. Everyone is ac- 
quainted with the fact that the empty wagon rumbles most. 
In order to strengthen your force so that you may be 
heard well in any ordinary assembly, practice daily in the 
middle pitch, on some energetic passages. Avoid rasping 
sounds, use the pure tone, and be careful not to rise in pitch. 
Strengthening the foundation, the middle pitch, will streng- 
then your voice along the whole range. 

GENERAL EXAMPLES 
From Gbe Giant TRaft 



"I will tell you nothing," returned Torres: "Joam Dacosta de- 
clined my propositions! He refused to admit me into his family! 
Well! now that his secret is known, now that he is a prisoner, it is I 
who refuse to enter his family, the family of a thief, of a murderer, of a 
condemned felon, for whom the gallows now waits ! ' ' 

"Scoundrel!" exclaimed Benito, who drew his manchetta from 
his belt and put himself in position. 

Manoel and Fragoso, by a similar movement, quickly drew their 
weapons. 

"Three against one!" said Torres. 

"Xo! one against one!" answered Benito. 

"Really! I should have thought an assassination would have bet- 
ter suited an assassine's son!" 

"Torres!" exclaimed Benito, "defend yourself, or I will kill you 
like a mad dog!" 

"Mad! so be it!" answered Torres, "but I bite. Benito Dacosta, 
and beware of the wounds!" (Jules Verne.) 

From Cbe Cross an£ tbe Crescent 

Brave Tancred! thy courage will win thee success — 
The hopeful in spirit sweet heaven will bless; 
The Christian shall triumph the cross shall prevail. 
God wills it! God wills it! His words cannot fail. 



72 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

He wills the blest triumph of right over wrong, 
He wills that the just in the strife shall be strong; 
Though the clouds may be dark, yet His light can shine 
through — 

God wills it! God wills it! His promise is true! 
'Tis to chasten, to humble, He sendeth delay — 
Though the journey be long, shall we faint by the way? 
No! onward and upward, with hearts strong and pure! 
God wills it! God wills it! His word shall endure! 

{Harriet M. Skidmore) 

From H /Hbotber's Sacrifice 

"Think of these things when you remember my perfidy, but more 
than all" — his voice sank to a deep, low tender tone, as if the swell 
of feelings which had grown with every word, had obtained now com- 
plete mastery — "remember it was a woman's holy pleadings with 
another — her devotion, so like Heaven's own love in its pure dis- 
interestedness; her unswerving loyalty to the teachings of her faith; 
her complete sacrifice of self, which brought to me at last the strength 
to do right; — that caused desperate struggles in my soul, that fre- 
quently made a confession spring to my very lips, and that brought 
back the memory of my mother, and the religious practices of my 
childhood as they had been brought back never before. 

"In my future of voluntary penance, the thought that you both 
have fully pardoned, have even perchance sometimes kind memories 
of me, will be a nucleus about which to gather the prayers and deeds 
of the remainder of my life." (Christine Faber) 

From Gallieta 

"My dear uncle," said Agellius, "I give you my solemn word 
that the people whom you so detest do pray for the welfare of the 
imperial power continually, as a matter of duty and as a matter of 
interest." 

"Pray! pray! fudge and nonsense!" cried Jucundus, almost mimick- 
ing him in his indignation; "pray! who thanks you for your prayers? 
what's the good of prayers? Prayers indeed! ha, ha! A little loyalty 
is worth all the praying in the world. I'll tell you what, Agellius; 
you are, I am sorry to say it, you are hand and glove with a set of 
traitors, who shall and will be smoked out like a nest of wasps. You 
don't know; you are not in the secret, nor the wretched slave, poor 



Force. 73 

beast, who was pulled to pieces yesterday at the Flamen's, nor a multi- 
tude of other idiots. But, d'ye see," and he chucked up his head 
significantly, " there are puppets and there are wires. Few know 
what is going on. They won't have done (unless we put them down; 
but we will) till they have toppled down the state. But Rome will 
put them down. {Newman) 

From 1Rosemat£ 

"Rose? "•he said at last in a deep and awful whisper. 

She was not prepared for his speaking. She knew that he had 
not spoken for months. She drew near and took his hand, saying; 
"Grandpapa!" 

"Has a spirit such soft hands?" said grandpapa tremulously. 

"It is not a spirit — it is your Rosemary herself," said the girl in 
a soothing voice; and bending down kissed him. 

"Stand back — stand in the light!" said grandpapa, rising on 
one elbow with astonishing vigor, "You were to have been married?" 
he said, glancing at her dress. "Have you just risen from the grave? 
Did you lie six months in that gloomy vault? Once I heard your 
voice there. Is this too a strong hallucination?" 

The old man sank back on his pillow and gazed at her wildly: — 
"Phantom! Begone!" — in a terrible voice. 

"It is I. your very Rosemary" said the girl. "It was my voice 
you heard in the vault, dear grandpapa." (/. V. Huntington) 

From Zbe /Hbercbant of Antwerp 

"Ah! dear Papa. The happy time has come! See the young 
peas are already in flower. You love them so much! The first are 
for you. They will be ready to eat in a few days. Then new potatoes 
will soon follow. New potatoes, green peas, fresh butter — what a 
feast it will be. How kind it is in our good Lord, papa, to make the 
first fruits of earth, which are given to rich and poor, so delicious." 

These artless remarks of his child's gentle voice touched the old 
man, and restored quiet and reason for a time to his mind. 

He stopped, took his daughter's hands, looked into her eyes, and 
said gravely: 

"How pure your heart is, how sincere your love! You watch 
over your father's troubled spirit like a guardian angel. You sacrifice 
for him not only your inclinations, but your youth, your future, your 
life. Yes, I know it. It is not always within. — Alas! I am powerless, 
fortune has deserted me; but this is nothing, Felicite. 



74 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

There is one in heaven who pays the debts of fathers to children. 
Yes, yes my noble and generous child, believe your father's words: 
some day, you will be happy; for God is just and forgets nothing!" 

(H. Conscience) 

From Zbe Confederate Chieftains 

"Chieftain of Uriel," said he, "be not cast down with mournful 
recollections — there is still hope for your brother, and even were there 
none, you have cause to rejoice in that the first sacrifice of propiti- 
ation was demanded and accepted from your noble and ever faithful 
house." 

"Alas! Colonel," replied the chief sadly, "you speak as one who 
never had a brother — you know not, cannot know how I loved that 
light-hearted brother of mine, and oh God! to think what torments 
he hath undergone since last mine eyes beheld him — had he fallen 
in honorable warfare, ay! though it were but in the Spanish wars, me- 
thinks I could resign him into the hands of Providence without a sigh, 
but this living death to which he is doomed — nay, talk not to me of 
being resigned, — I can not, will not be resigned while my brother 
languishes in a noisome vault of Dublin Castle. Oh! the heavy, 
heavy sorrow." 

"Heavy it may be, Art," said the princely O'Rourke with a deep- 
drawn sigh, "but — but the load is not all your own to carry — others 
have had brothers — oh, how dear! and lost them, too, since this war 
began." (Mrs. J. Sadlier) 



CHAPTER VI. 



Belsarte's Xawe of (Sesture- 

Having familiarized ourselves in previous chapters, with 
the bodily agents of expression, we proceed to the laws 
governing them. We give the Laws of Delsarte on the 
subject. 

Xaw ot Succession 

" Let your attitude, gesture, and face foretell what you 
would make felt." 

In other words, facial expression and gesture should 
precede speech. The expression begins at the eye, commu- 
nicates itself to the face, and then passes to the rest of the 
body, successively throwing into motion each articulation 
as it passes down. For instance, along the arm it would 
start with the shoulder and upper arm, then follow the 
elbow and lower arm, lastly wrist, hand, and fingers. As 
a proof that this is the law of nature, we refer you to the 
child. Observe it and you will see that on its face is mir- 
rored the pleasure, pain, anger, etc., which stirs it, before 
it gives those emotions voice. The little face often assumes 
lines of pain, long before the voice has given evidence of 
grief. 

Xaw ot Opposition 

"When two limbs follow the same direction, they can not 
be simultaneous without an injury to the law ot opposition. 



76 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Therefore, direct movements should be successive, and opposite 
movements simultaneous." 

In order to make the law more intelligible we place it thus: 
I. Opposite movements should be simultaneous; 

II. Parallel movements should be successive. 
As an example of the I., suppose something repulsive to 
be situated to the right oblique of the speaker. In making 
a gesture to show his feeling of disgust toward the object, 
he would move the head to the left, and with the right hand 
make a movement as if to push it away from him. The 
movement of both head and hand should be simultaneous. 
An illustration of the II. part of the law may be seen in 
the salutation of two friends. The body bends forward 
and then only the hand is extended for the other's grasp. 
Care should be taken that these laws be followed or awk- 
ward movements will ensue. 

Xavv ot Duration 

This law cautions us against multiplying gesture. But 
one gesture is necessary for the expression of a single thought. 
This gesture should be held till the thought is completed. 
Notice, we do not affirm that it must be held till the sentence 
is completed. There may be many modifications of the 
thought contained in a sentence. Until a new impression 
dawns upon us, the gesture must not be changed. 

OLaw of tt)elocit£ 

1 1 The rythm of gesture is proportional to the mass to be 
moved.'" 

Interpreting this we have: The velocity of the gesture 
should be proportionate to the thought or emotion. Hence 
grandeur demands gestures of majestic dimensions. In 
this law 7 , gesture follows nature as seen in the swinging of 
a pendulum. If a pendulum is set so that it swings only 
a short distance, the motion will be quick; place it lower 
on the rod, and permit it to swing with a large sweep, and 



Delsarte's Laws of Gesture. 77 

the motion is slow. Take the following example from 
Pope, and notice the change in the velocity of gesture. 

When Ajax strives some rock's vast weight to throw, 

The line too labors and the words move slow. 

Not so when swift Camilla scours the plain, 

Flies o'er the unbending corn and skims along the main. 

Xawof HltituDe 

Positiveness rises, hesitancy descends. If you are abso- 
lutely certain of your assertion, the arm will be carried 
straight toward the zenith in testifying to it. If you make 
an assertion with hesitancy, the gesture will not proceed 
above the shoulder line. The more doubtful you are, the 
lower is the altitude of the gesture. Try the Law of Altitude 
on the following sentences. 

Possibility. He may be false. 

Assertion. I believe him false. 

Certainty. I have evidence proving him false. 

Absolute Certainty. I swear that he is false. 

In pronouncing these sentences, the first and second 
call for gestures of different altitudes below the shoulder 
line. The third is made above the shoulder line; the last 
points straight to the zenith. 

Xaw ot fforce 

"Conscious strength assumes weak attitudes. Conscious 
weakness assumes strong attitudes.'" 

The broad base is the physically strong attitude. This 
may be noticed in the child just learning to walk. Its legs 
are spread wide to steady it in moving along. Observe, the 
broad base is used also by one who has imbibed too freely. 
In order to keep from falling, he assumes this, the physically 
strong attitude. It is this attitude, likewise, which con- 
scious weakness will assume in order to have at least the 
semblance of strength. On the other hand, conscious 
strength has nothing to fear, and hence relaxes all tension 



78 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

and show of power. This relaxation tends to moderate 
the position. The bully will assume broad gesture and 
position to put on a show of power which, of course, he is 
conscious he does not possess. The athlete, confident in 
his own powers, does not need to assume physically strong 
attitudes, for he knows that when the trial comes his strength 
will not be found wanting. Observe these two classes of 
individuals and you will not hesitate as to where the strength 
lies. 

There is a dispute as to how many laws Delsarte laid 
down for gesture. Some of his disciples claim nine as the 
number, others six, and others do not give any category. 
Delsarte died before issuing any printed matter. Hence 
we have no means of certifying ourselves as to the number. 
We take the foregoing to be laws in consonance with nature 
and applicable to all gesture. Other laws attributed to 
him we omit, as being unnecessary. 

These brief general laws of action are the essential 
philosophy of correct gesture. In other chapters the proper 
application of these basic laws will be given that the student 
may have ample practice in this division of eloquence. We 
recommend highly that he take part in amateur theatricals. 
It is the best method of developing the emotions. It teaches 
him to profit by the mistakes of his companions and the 
advice of his instructor. It is a great aid to attain ease 
before the public. Above all it will tend to give a natural 
method of speech and action and thus help him to " conceal 
his art." Remember " Ars est celare artem," The speaker 
who has not learned "to conceal his art" is just a beginner. 



CHAPTER VII. 



pttcb 

Pitch is the point, in the gamut of expression, at which 
a tone is uttered. 

We may call the human voice a musical instrument. 
It has, as the piano, three kinds of notes: the high, the 
medium, and the low. Its range is not like that of the 
piano in six or seven octaves, but generally in a little less 
than two. The voice, in delivery, may not be used in the 
higher, middle, or lower registers arbitrarily, but must 
be confined to that which the nature of the sentiment in- 
tended to be expressed, demands. In order, therefore, that 
the student may learn how to use the different pitches of 
the voice correctly, — for like the piano the human voice is 
an instrument we must learn to play on, — we subjoin rules 
for his guidance. 

Pitch is divided into High, Middle, and Low tones. 
Of these the most used is the middle. Legouve, in his ad- 
mirable work, "The Art of Reading," says: "The middle 
pitch, in fact, is our ordinary voice, and is therefore the 
best and truest delineator of our truest and most natural 
sentiments. The low notes are not without great power; 
the high notes are occasionally brilliant; but to neither should 
recourse be had frequently: they should be employed only 
when certain unusual effects are to be produced — that is 
to say, only exceptionally and sparingly. As an illustration 
I should compare our high notes to cavalry, whose peculiar 



80 ELEMENTS OF EXPRESSION, VOCAL AND PHYSICAL. 

province is to make dashing charges and initiate strong 
attacks; the low notes I should compare to the artillery, 
as denoting strength , effort, and the putting forth of unusual 
power; but the main body of the army, its real working 
strength and spirit, the element on which the tactician 
relies the most and employs the oftenest, is the infantry. 
The middle voice is our infantry. The chief precept, there- 
fore, which I would most earnestly impress upon you is this: 
to the middle voice accord the supremacy, first, last, and al- 
ways!" 

In the scale, b flat beginning below the leger line, the 
four notes, b, c, d, e, would be the range of the low pitch; 
/, g, a, b, c, would be the middle pitch, and d, e, f, g, above, 
would be the range of the high pitch. 



High Pitch is used to express buoyant, gay, energetic, 
animated, and impassioned thought, and the height of terror. 

EXAMPLES 
From /HMD6ummer=1Rigbrs Dream 

I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows, 

Where ox-lips and the nodding violet grows; 

Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, 

With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine: 

There sleeps Titania, sometime of the night, 

Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight; 

And there the snake throws her enamell'd skin. 

Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in: 

And with the juice of this I'll streak her eyes, 

And make her full of hateful fantasies. {Shakespeare) 

From Sweet /HbaE 

The summer is come! — the summer is come! 

With its flowers and its branches green, 

Where the young birds chirp on the blossoming boughs, 

And the sunlight struggles between. (D. F. McCarthy) 



Pitch. 8i 

From ©tbellO Act II. 

Oh God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal 
away their brains! that we should, with joy, pleasure, revel, and ap- 
plause, transform ourselves -into beasts. {Shakespeare) 

From IRigbtfall 

With mellow haze; 

And to my gaze 
Comes proudly rising, with its rays 

No longer dim, 

The moon; its rim 
In splendor gilds the billowy brim. 

I watch it gain 

The heavenly plain; 
Behind it trails a starry train — 

While low and sweet 

The wavelets beat 
Their murmuring music at my feet. 

Fair night of June 1 

Yon silver moon 
Gleams pale and still. The tender tune, 

Faint-floating, plays, 

In moonlit lays, 
A melody of other days. 

'Tis sacred ground; 

A peace profound 
Comes o'er my soul. I hear no sound, 

Save at my feet 

The ceaseless beat 
Of waters murmuring low and sweet. (W. W. Ellsworth) 

From /IftOOre 

Joy to Ierne, joy, 

This day a deathless crown is won, 

Her child of song, her glorious son, 

Her minstrel boy 

Attains his century fame, 

Completes his time-allotted zone 



82 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

And proudly with the world's acclaim 
Ascends the lyric throne. (D. F. M'Carthy) 

From Zneeo'e IRecoven? of Jerusalem 

Then loud he cries, "Oh what a dust ariseth. 
O, how it shines with shields and targets clear! 
Up, up, to arms, for valiant heart despiseth 
The threat'ned storm of death, and danger near; 
Behold your foes: then further thus deviseth: 
Haste, haste, for vain delay increaseth fear, 
These horrid clouds of dust that yonder fly, 
Your coming foes do hide, and hide the sky." 



(E. Fairfax) 



From Iking IRicbarfc f f . Act II. 



Why have those banish' d and forbidden legs 

Dar'd once to touch a dust of England's ground? 

But more than that, — Why have they dared to march 

So many miles upon our peaceful bosom, 

Frighting her pale-fac'd villages with war, 

And ostentation of despoiling arms? (Shakespeare) 



Middle Pitch is used to express all unimpassioned nar- 
rative and description. 

EXAMPLES 

From 1b am let Act III. 

Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trip- 
pingly on the tongue; but if you mouth it, as many of your players do, 
I had as lief the town- crier spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the 
air too much with your hand, thus; but use all gently. (Shakespeare) 

From <3ranfcmotber'6 Geacbing 

"God neither progresses nor changes, dear, as I once heard you rashly 

say: 
Your schools and philosophies come and go, but His word doth not 

pass away. 



Pitch. 83 

We worship Him here as we did of old, with simple and reverent rite: 

In the morning we pray Him to bless our work, to forgive our trans- 
gressions at night. 

To keep his commandments, to fear His name, and what should be 
done, to do, — 

That's the beginning of Wisdom still: I suspect 'tis the end of it too." 

(A. Austin) 

From JBesay on Criticism 

But see! each Muse, in Leo's golden days, 
Starts from her trance, and trims her withered bays; 
Rome's ancient Genius, o'er its ruins spread, 
Shakes of! the dust, and rears his reverend head. 
Then sculpture and her sister arts revive: 
Stones leaped to form, and rocks began to live; 
With sweeter notes each rising temple rung: 
A Raphael painted, and a Vida sung. (Pope) 



Low Pitch is appropriate to sentiments of reverence, 
solemnity, grandeur, and gravity. 

EXAMPLES 

From 5uliu5 Caesar Act II. 

It must be by his death; and for my part, 

I know no personal cause to spurn at him, 

But for the general. He would be crown'd: 

How that might change his nature, there's the question. 

It is the bright day that brings forth the adder, 

And that craves wary walking. Crown him? — that; 

And then, I grant, we put a sting in him, 

That at his will he may do danger with. (Shakespeare) 

From XTbe pillar lowers of IfrelanD 

The pillar towers of Ireland, how wondrously they stand, 
By the lakes and rushing rivers through the valleys of our land: 
In mystic file, through the isle, they lift their heads sublime, 
These gray old pillar temples, these conquerors of time! 

(D. F. M'Carthy) 



84 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

From ©mens presaging tbe Bowntall of 1Ttal£ 

Last night, between the hour of twelve and one 

In a lone aisle of the temple while I walked 

A whirlwind rose, that, with a violent blast, 

Shook all the dome. The doors around me clapt; 

The iron wicket, that defends the vault 

Where the long race of Ptolemies is laid, 

Burst open and disclosed the mighty dead. {Dry den) 

From 1b am let Act I. 

Ghost. I am thy father's spirit; 

Doomed for a certain time to walk the night, 

And, for the day, confined to fast in fires, 

Till the foul crimes, done in my days of nature, 

Are burn'd and purged away. {Shakespeare) 

From XLO JEbevt 

O, Ebert! if all have perished, and under shroud and pall 

Lie still and voiceless in Death's abyss — 
If thou and I be lone and withered survivors of all, 

Art thou, also, speechless at this? 
Glazes not horror thine eye? Glares it not blank without soul? 

So from mine too departed the light, 
When first this harrowing phantom over the purple bowl 

Struck my spirit with thundermight. 
O ! in the depth of night I saw the death-pageant arise ! 

And, Ebert! — the souls of our friends were there, 
Horrible dream! from which, as in chains, I struggle to waken, 

Terrible as the Judgment-hour 
And as Eternity solemn! My spirit, appalled and shaken, 

Can wrestle no longer against thy power. (/. C. Mangan) 



Note. — Variations in pitch will be treated under the head of Inflexion. 

GENERAL EXAMPLES 

From /Hbacbetb Act V. 

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, 
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, 
To the last syllable of recorded time; 



Pitch. 85 

And all our yesterdays have lighted fools 

The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! 

Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player, 

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, 

And then is heard no more: it is a tale 

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, 

Signifying nothing. (Shakespeare) 

From 3For tbe people 

"There's a serf whose chains are of paper; there's a king with a parch- 
ment crown, 

There are robber knights and brigands in factory, iield and town, 

But the vassal pays his tribute to a lord of wage rent; 

And the baron's toll is Shylock's, with a flesh and blood per cent. 

Ye have shorn and bound the Samson, and robbed him of learning's 
light; 

But his sluggish brain is moving, his sinews have all their might, 

Look well to your gates of Gaza, your privilege, pride and caste! 

The Giant is blind and thinking, and his locks are growing fast. " 

(/. /. Roche) 

From Dick SanDs 

Whilst he was speaking, Negoro had gradually drawn nearer to 
the prisoner, until their faces were almost in contact. Exasperated 
by Dick's calmness, his countenance assumed an expression of the 
utmost ferocity, and at last he burst forth in a paroxysm of rage. 

"It is my turn now! I am master now! I am captain here! You 
are in my power! Your life is in my hands!" 

"Take it then," said Dick quietly; "death has no terrors for me, 
and your wickedness will soon be avenged." 

"Avenged!" roared Negoro; "do you suppose there is a single soul 
to care about you? Avenged! who will concern himself with what 
befalls you?" 

"Hercules is free," said Dick. 

"Hercules!" sneered Negoro; "he has been food for lions and 
panthers long ago. I am only sorry that I did not get the chance 
of disposing of him myself." (Jules Verne) 

From H Cbouan 

From the school-porch at Yannes 
Weaponed, the children ran; 



86 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

One little voice began,. 
Lark-like ascended; 

'Treason is on the wing. 

Black vows and menacing: 
March, boys! God save the king!' 

Allio ended 

Nay, more: — 'God save the king!' 

With a last clarion ring, 
Shot ere he ceased to sing, 

Allio sang it. 

(L. I. Guiney) 

From /Hb£ Clerical JrienDs 

My father was a dignitary of the Church, and not unfrequently 
had bishops for his guests. Among these was one of whom my per- 
sonal reminiscences are not cheerful. I am sure he had great merits 
— or how could he have become a bishop? — and that it was my own 
fault if I did not discover them; but the day of his departure from my 
father's house was always to me a festal one. I often detected my- 
self, not without self reproach, gazing intently upon his face, which 
really had no expression whatever, except that of general approval 
of the world, in which he seemed to feel that he occupied a place not 
wholly unequal to his merits. He ate a good deal, but in a solemn 
way, and as if he was doing a favor to somebody by eating at all. I 
never saw him in bed, but am persuaded that, even in that difficult 
position, his attitude was full of dignity. He is dead now ; and I hope 
he is as well satisfied with the other world as he was with this. 

(T. W. M. Marshall) 

From %\tC atlfc XanD 

Lo! what other shape is this self -poised in upper air, 
With wings like trailing comets, and face darker than despair? 
See! see! the bright sun sickens into saffron in its shade, 
And the poles are shaken at their ends, infected and afraid — 
It is the Spirit of the Plague, and round and round the shore 
It circles on its course, shedding bane forevermore — 
And the slave falls for the tyrant, and the suff'rer for the sin, 
And a wide inhuman desert is, where Ireland has been. — 



Pitch. 87 

'T was a vision — 'tis a fable — I did but tell my dream — 
Yet twice, yea thrice, I saw it, and still it seemed the same. 
Ah! my soul is with the darkness, nightly, daily overcast — 
And I fear me, God permitting, it may fall out true at last. 
God permitting, man decreeing! What, and shall man so will, 
And our unsealed lips be silent and our unbound hands be still? 
Oh! countrymen and kindred, make yet another stand, — 
Plant your flag upon the common soil — be your motto, 
Life and Land. (T. R. M'Gee) 

From Zhe Circue IRifcer'6 Daugbter 

"Come, come!" called out the director impatient ly, leading the 
wa} r to his office. "Well, what news?" he asked before the door was 
closed. 

"Here are some letters," said Landolfo, throwing a package on 
the table. 

"But the banker?" asked Karsten excitedly. 

"A severe loss at best. Two thirds at least must go, if not more." 

What a blow!" cried the director. " What a terrible loss ! I don't 
see how I can meet it. The troupe is doing moderately well, but 
the expenses this winter have been enormous." 

Landolfo silently puffed curls of smoke into the air. 

"Two thirds lost — that means ruin!" muttered Karsten. 

"One good season would make it up," replied Landolfo quietly. 

"But can I dig a good season out of the ground?" cried the director 
angrily. "That fellow will ruin me; he will leave nothing untried." 
(Mary A. Mitchell's Translation) 



CHAPTER VIII. 



flnflexion 

As in the art of painting we find a ground color, or 
basis, on which to bring out the lights and shades, so in 
the art of expression. Every man has a certain pitch of 
voice in which he is most agreeable to his hearers and most 
comfortable to himself. This is the ground-tone from which 
he is to build, from which all advancement is to be made. 
We call this pitch the conversational tone. The variations 
from the key-note of this conversational pitch we call Inflexions. 
We might then define inflexion as: The changes of pitch to 
suit the sentiment. 

Every piece has a predominating pitch. The judicious 
variation from this pitch relieves the voice from an incessant 
strain, begets and holds attention, and adds a pleasing 
variety to delivery. The extent of the rise or fall in pitch 
is governed by the amount of emotion contained in the 
thought. 

There are Three Inflexions: the Rising ('), the Falling 
(>), and the Circumflex (~). It requires no little atten- 
tion to learn where each is appropriately used, yet a close 
observance of the following rules will aid us. 

IRulee tor tbe XDlae ot IRieing 1Fnf leiion 

i. The Rising Inflexion is generally used in asking a 
direct question; e. g., 

Have you pray'd to-night, Desdemona? 



Inflexion. 89 

2. The Rising Inflexion is generally used in pathetic 
supplication, in expressing tender sentiments, in denoting 
servility, etc.; e. g., 

r . r 

O! save me, Hubert, save me! my eyes are out 

r 

Even with the fierce looks of these bloody men. 

j. The Rising Inflexion is used in the expression of some- 
thing about which we are doubting; e. g., 

r 

Is not that a man standing on that great peak far to the South of us? 

4. The Rising Inflexion is used in answers that are slightly 
disrespectful, careless, etc.; e. g., 

r 

Did you see him? I did. 

5. The Rising Inflexion is used where the speaker is 
supposed to have all of a succession of particulars in his mind 
when he expresses the first; e. g., 

Caesar is said to have been tall, slim, agile, and hardy. 

6. The Rising Inflexion is generally used before the 
disjunctive or; e. g., 

r 

Will you ride or walk? 

7. The Rising Inflexion is used in the negative part of 
all sentences where you have a negation and an affirmation; e. g., 

r 

Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. 

8. The Rising Inflexion is generally used in the last but 
one of a series of clauses; e. g., 

St. Benedict said to Totila: You do much evil; you have already done 

X "V 

much: cease at length to perpetrate injustice. You will actually take 
Rome; you will cross the sea; you will reign nine years more, and die 
in the tenth. 



90 Elements of Expression, Vocai, and Physical. 

IRules for falling 1Tnf lexton 

i. The Falling Inflexion is used in answer to a direct 
question; e. g., 

Must I endure all this? Aye more. 

2. The Falling Inflexion is used where strength, com- 
mand, positiveness are asserted; e. g., 

Brutus bay not me, I'll not endure it. 

3. The Falling Inflexion is vised where a series of par- 
ticulars suggest themselves one after another as the speaker 
proceeds in his discourse; e. g., 

What a piece of work is man; how noble in reason! how infinite in 
faculties! in form, and moving, how express and admirable! in action, 
how like an angel! in apprehension, how like a god! the beauty of the 
world! the paragon of animals! {Shakespeare) 

4. The Falling Inflexion is used where the sense is com- 
pleted whether the end of the sentence is reached or not; e. g., 

X X 

Oh Cassius! you are yoked with a iamb, 
That carries anger as the flint bears fire. 

5. The Falling Inflexion is used to express hate, disdain, 
contempt, and other contrary sentiments; e.g., 

X A 

Poison be their drink! 

XX X 

Gall, worse than gall, the daintiest that they taste! 

X 

Their sweetest shade, a grove of cypress trees! 

Their chief est prospect, murdering basilisks! (Shakespeare) 

Gbe Circumflex Inflexion 

The Circumflex Inflexion is generally used in the expression 
of humor, irony, and sarcasm; e.g., 

I have heard, 
Where many of the best respect in Rome 



Inflexion. 91 

Except immortal Caesar! — speaking of Brutus, 

Have wished that noble Brutus had his eyes. (Shakespeare) 

Before I would drown myself for the love of a guinea hen, I would 
change my humanity with a baboon. (Shakespeare) 

Application 

Study your selection until you are perfectly acquaint- 
ed with what the author wishes to say. The perfection 
of good speech depends greatly on this principle. Then 
speak the piece as though it were your own. 

The student should be instructed that the punctuation 
marks found in selections are not guides to the inflexion 
at all. They are there to mark out the grammatical division 
of the sentence and should not be heeded by the speaker. 
Many readers are very monotonous because of invariably 
following the old rules we heard in youth, to pause at a com- 
ma, to raise the inflexion at an interrogation point, and to 
drop it at a period. Be not influenced by these grammatical 
pauses except in so far as the sense requires it. 

GENERAL EXAMPLES. 

From Iking Ibenxy TO. Part I. Act. V. 

Falstaff. Can honor set a leg? No. Or an arm? No. Or take 
away the grief of a wound? No. What is honor? A word. What is 
in that word honor? What is that honor? Air. A trim reckoning! 
— Who hath it? He that died o' Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. 
Doth he hear it? No. Is it insensible then? Yea, to the dead. 
But will it not live with the living? No. Why? Detraction will 
not suffer it: — therefore I'll none of it: honor is a mere scutcheon, 
and so ends my catechism. (Shakespeare) 

From Zbe IRape of tbe %oc\{ 

See, fierce Belinda on the Baron flies, 

With more than usual lightning in her eyes. 

But this bold lord, with manly strength endued, 



92 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

She, with one finger and a thumb subdued. 

Just where the breath of life his nostrils drew 

A charge of snuff the wily virgin threw; 

The gnomes direct, to every atom just, 

The pungent grains of titillating dust. 

Sudden with starting tears each eye o'erflows, 

And the high dome re-echoes to his nose. 

Restore the lock! she cries, and all around, 

Restore the lock! the vaulted roofs rebound. 

Not fierce Othello, in so loud a strain, 

Roared for the handkerchief that caused his pain. 

But see how oft ambitious aims are cross'd, 

And chiefs contend till all the prize is lost! 

The lock, obtained with guilt and kept with pain, 

In every place is sought, but sought in vain, 

Some thought it mounted to the lunar sphere, 

Since all things lost on earth are treasured there. 

There heroes' wits are kept in ponderous vases, 

And beaux' in snuff-boxes and tweezer-cases, 

There broken vows and death- bed alms are found, 

And lovers' hearts, with ends of riband bound; 

Cages for gnats, and chains to yoke a flea, 

Dried butter- flies, and tomes of casuistry. 

But trust the Muse! she saw it upward rise, 

Though marked by none but quick, poetic eyes; 

This lock the Muse shall consecrate to fame, 

And 'midst the stars inscribe Belinda's name. {Pope) 

From Zbe ffioyne Mater 

An instant after, a man rushed into the hall, yelling forth, "The 
Sassenachs!" 

"I knew it," said Hogan, "by your signal horns — silence!" 
As the throng of women in the hall gave meet response to the noise 
abroad — "silence, and hear my orders! Half our men to horse. Half 
of them, again, to the first gate of the avenue, the other to the second 
gate. Let the rest of the men stay in the house; a dozen, only, to watch 
at the back. But, first of all, let hatchet, saw, and pickaxe, and every 
man that hears me, work, work, work, for dear life, to tear up the 
ground before both gates, and fell trees and bushes to check them — 
Speed! speed!" The hall was cleared in obedience to his orders: 
the Whisperer only stayed with him. 



Inflexion. 93 

"They will give us time for this," the general continued, "because 
they will advance cautiously: or our ambushed pickets and videttes 
will make them give"us~time. You, master Evelyn, are to remain by 
my side. Fear nothing — we have faced greater odds before now, and 
won the battle. If they force in upon us, I will still bother them; 
the house over my head shall burn to charcoal ere they possess it — fear 
nothing/' (Bavim) 



From 13 am let Act I. 



Hamlet. My father, — methinks I see my father. 

Horatio. O! where my lord? 

Ham. In my- mind's eye, Horatio. 

Hur. I saw him once he was a goodly king. 

Ham. He was a man, take him for all in all, 

I shall not look upon his like again. 
Hor. My lord, I think I saw him yesternight. 
Ham. Saw whom? 
Hor. My lord, the king your father. 
Ham. The king my father! 

Hor As I do live, my honor'd lord, 'tis true; 

And we did think it writ down in our duty, 

To let you know of it. 
Ham. Indeed, indeed, sirs, but this troubles me. 

Hold you the watch to-night? 
All. We do, my lord. 

Ham. Arm'd, say you? 
All. Arm'd, my lord. 

Ham. From top to toe? 

All. My lord, from head to foot. 
Ham. Then saw you not his face? 
Hor. O! yes, my lord, he wore his beaver up. 
Ham. What! looked he frowningly? 
Hor. A countenance more 

In sorrow than in anger. 
Ham. Pale, or red? 

Hor. Nay, very pale. 

Ham. And fixed his eyes upon you? 

Hor. Most constantly. 
Ham. I would I had been there. [Shakespeare) 



94 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

From flfctoebtpman JSob 

The next morning Mr. Ingersoll came to Bob with a very grave 
face. 

"Mr. Adair, I found this among the papers Mr. Haweis handed 
me by } T our request. " 

"How did it get there, sir?" asked Bob, in surprise; for it was a 
long list of answers, copied figure for figure from the text-books, and 
covering the hardest part of the examination. 

"I don't know," said Ingersoll sorrowfully; "and I'd rather have 
cut off my fingers than to have found it: for I shall have to report it." 

"Why, you don't think — you don't believe — " stammered Bob, 
his face flushing scarlet, and then turning deadly white, as the signi- 
ficance of it all dawned upon him, — "you couldn't think, Mr. Inger- 
soll, that I did it, or used it;*" 

"Personally, I couldn't and wouldn't, Adair. But here's the paper; 
and as it has fallen into my hands, I simply have to do my duty. " 

Bob stood stupefied. Before him rushed his buoyant aspirations, 
his joyous youth, his pride in his first uniform, his happy, honorable 
Academy days, his future, his hopes, his mother : and now this disgrace- 
ful suspicion, with the blighting, crushing penalty! (E. L. Dorsey) 

From Zbe Granelatton of tbe ITiiaD] 

Let me be foremost to defend the throne, 
And guard my father's glories and my own. 
"Yet come it will, the day decreed by fates, 
(How my heart trembles while my tongue relates!) 
The day when thou, imperial Troy, must bend, 
And see thy warriors fall, thy glories end. 
And yet no dire presage so wounds my mind, 
My mother's death, the ruin of my kind, 
Not Priam's hoary hairs, dehled with gore, 
Not all my brothers gasping on the shore, 
As thine, Andromache! Thy griefs I dread: 
I see thee trembling, weeping, captive, led, 
In Argive looms our battles to design, 
And woes of which so large a part was thine; 
To bear the victor's hard commands, or bring 
The weight of waters from Hyperia's spring. 
There, while you groan beneath the load of life, 
They cry, 'Behold the mighty Hector's wife!' 



Inflexion. 95 

Some haughty Greek, who lives thy tears to see, 

Imbitters all thy woes by naming me. 

The thought of glory past, and present shame, 

May I lie cold, before that dreadful day, 

Pressed with a load of monumental clay, 

Thy Hector, wrapt in everlasting sleep, 

Shall neither hear thee sigh nor see thee weep." {Pope) 

From {TangleD ipatba 

"No, madame, pardon me," he said. "I have done nothing except 
my duty. I should offend the memory of my uncle by accepting a 
reward, and from you! All that I desire is your thanks, and a line 
acknowledging the receipt of that package." 

"1 could only expect this from a relative of Carl Shsefer!" Na- 
talie replied, respecting the sturdy burgher spirit that refused her gold: 
then she turned to the table and wrote the acknowledgment he desired . 
"A day may, however, come," she added, as she gave it to him, "when 
I can show my gratitude without wounding your honorable sensibilities. 
When do you return?" 

"I shall get through my business here to-morrow morning, and 
take the afternoon train to reach New York in time for the outgoing 
German steamer, madame. Shall I call for letters?" 

"No — Yes! I will write to the president of the bank, who has 
now the management of my affairs. You have done me an inestimable 
service, for which I again thank you." 

"At what hour shall I call, madame?" 

"At any hour after 12 o'clock. Just send up the name of Carl 
Schaefer." 

"That is my name, Madame — " 

"It is a worthy name," she answered, with a far away look in her 
eyes, as if sad memories had taken form and become visible; but re- 
calling herself to the present, she said: "The letter will be brought to 
you by the old servant who admitted you. I will say adieu now, with 
the best wishes for your safe return home." (.4. H. Dorsey) 

From dfoucb 2HD0 about IftOtblttG Act II. 

Benedick. Boy, — 
Boy. vSignor? 

Bene. In my chamber- window lies a book: bring it hither to me 
in the orchard. 

Boy. I am here already, sir. 

Bene. I know that: but I would have thee hence and here again. — 



96 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

I do much wonder that one man, seeing how much another man is 
a fool when he dedicates his behaviours to love, will, after he hath 
laugh/d at such shallow follies in others, become the argument of his 
own scorn by falling in love: and such a man is Claudio. I have known 
when there was no music with him but the drum and the file; and now 
had he rather hear the tabor and the pipe: I have known when he 
would have walk'd ten mile a- foot to see a good armour; and now 
will he lie ten nights awake, carving the fashion of a new doublet. He 
was wont to speak plain and to the purpose, like an honest man and a 
soldier: and now he is turned orthographer ; his words are a very fantasti- 
cal banquet.. — just so man}' strange dishes. May T be so converted, 
and see with these eyes? I cannot tell; I think not: I will not be sworn, 
but love may transform me to an oyster; but I'll take my oath on it, 
till he have made an oyster of me, he shall never make me such a fool. 
One woman is fair, — yet I am well: another is wise, — yet 1 am well; 
another virtuous, — yet I am well : but till all graces be in one woman, 
one woman shall not come in my grace. Rich shall she be that's 
certain; wise, or I'll none: virtuous, or I'll never cheapen her; fair, 
or I'll ne\er look at her; mild, or come not near me; noble, or not I 
for an angel; of good discourse, an excellent musician, and her hair 
shall be of what colour it please God. (Shakespeare) 

From <3l8ippU0 Act III. 

Pheax. Oh! Gisippus! 

Gis. What is the matter? Give your wonder words. 

Pheax. You are my friend. Oh! I have a tale for you; 
Gisippus if you take my counsel 
You'll not remain in Athens. 

Gis. Not remain in Athens? 

Pheax. No — 'tis known — 

Gis. What's known? 

Pheax. That you have given Sophronia to the Roman. 

Gis. Oh! they know it? I am glad of it. They know 
That T have given her to her ancient love, 
And my first friend. What do their wisdoms say? 
Upon this novel guilt? If it be a crime 
To give my heart, life, soul, away — 
For thou to me wert all, Sophronia — if it be crime 
To tear up my own comfort by the roots, 
To make a garland for another's head. 
Then I have sinned most deeply, and my reason 
Shall venerate their censure. 



Inflexion. 97 

Pheax. Oh, Gisippus! you are in peril! 
They have spoken loudly of your wants, my friend, — 
And Fulvius' wealth. You start? Ay, that's the charge! 
They trump it to the state that you have had 
Mean views in this. But it has struck you deep — 
You do not speak? You do not answer me? 

Gis. I cannot speak nry thought! I'm wonder! rage 
And wonder all ! {Pauses) 

The furies tear their hearts — lash them with worse 
Than the fell stings they've cast on mine! Gods! what! 
Make venal that I gave my peace to purchase; 
And to my friend! — give me the slanderer's name 
That I may tear the lying tongue from out 
His jaws, and " trample on the — I am choked: 
I cannot find a voice to curse them, {Gerald Griffin) 



CHAPTER IX. 



The voice is nature 's medium of expression. The human 
voice is the vehicle of thought and feeling, the agent of the 
soul, the bond of union betwixt man and man. It may be 
trained to convey 

"All thoughts, all passions, all delights, 
Whatever stirs this mortal frame. " 

The voice, being commonly in harmony with the nature 
of its possessor, reveals much character. It is regarded 
by some as an unfailing index. "A gruff, disagreeable 
voice, " say they, "makes known a like nature; and a sweet, 
soft, kind voice tells the story of corresponding inner traits 
of character." Naturalists that have studiously observed 
dogs, inform us, that each dog has a distinct or peculiar 
bark, which invariably agrees with its well-known disposition 
and characteristics. The owl and the raven are universally 
regarded as birds of evil omen; their voices almost justify 
the view. 

The moderate observation of each one will furnish 
like examples from nature. None will fail to detect the 
mild character of the dove in its plaintive cooing, and the 
loathsome character of the venomous serpent from its malig- 
nant hiss. No one hesitates to pronounce the character 
of a lamb from its bleating, and a mastiff from his bay. 

The same tell-tales of character may be found in "the 



Quality. 99 

paragon of animals." There are voices that enchain 
attention, quell opposition, reach and win the heart; there 
are others that estrange, provoke, and almost make 

"Each particular hair to stand on end, 
Like quills upon the fretful porcupine." 

The attribute which enables us to distinguish the different 
voices is called Quality, Character, or Timbre of voice. 

"The voice is a living seolian harp. The vocal chords 
are situated in the upper part of the larynx, where the 
air from the lungs, called breath, passes through, and brings 
to phonation the tones conceived in the brain. " 

It is susceptible of much cultivation. True, all may 
not attain the same mellowness, fullness, strength, and 
flexibility of vocal power, but all can improve by judicious 
vocal exercise. The voice is exposed to "the thousand 
natural shocks, that flesh is heir to," and, hence, must be 
employed with discretion. 

Perfect organs are little more to the speaker than per- 
fect tools to the mechanic — both must practice to become 
skilful in their use. The golden rule of economy, never 
let the expenditure exceed the supply, is especially applicable 
to the voice. The supply essential to every speaker is a 
supply of breath. Hence, correct vocal culture resolves 
itself into the art of correct inspiration and expiration, the 
difficult art of breathing. 

The great value and necessity of a good voice, all admit. 
The sermons with which a St. Bernard or a Bossuet kindled 
devotion in the hearts of thousands would seem insipid, 
if delivered in leaden tones by a hueless voice. Shakespeare 
knew the value of a cultured voice when he said, 

In law what plea so tainted and corrupt, 
But, being season'd with a gracious voice, 
Obscures the show of Evil? 

The voice is the interpreter of the emotions. Each emo- 
tion has its distinctive quality. If we would give adequate 



ioo Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

expression to these innumerable emotions, we must be 
able to govern with 

"giddy cunning 
The melting voice through mazes running, 
Untwisting all the chains that tie 
The hidden soul of harmony." 

The Qualities of Voice are six: Pure, Orotund, Aspirate, 
Guttural, Pectoral, and Falsetto, The first three of these 
have the three forms of Force, Effusive, Expulsive, Explo- 
sive. 

The Guttural, owing to its nature, has no Effusive Form. 
The Pectoral, for a like reason, lacks Explosive Form. The 
Falsetto sometimes uses the Expulsive and Explosive Forms. 



fl>ure Zone 

Pure tone should be mastered before the others are attempted. 
In it lie all genuine power, compass, and endurance. When 
all the breath summoned for the production of a tone is 
vocalized, the result is Pure Tone. 

"The tones must be brought to the front of the mouth. 
The brightness or bloom of the tone should sparkle upon 
the lips, and the mouth should be filled with vibration. 
The hard palate is the sounding board and the mouth 
the resonance cavity of the voice." 

In producing this tone, the mouth should be opened 
as if about to yawn, and the tone projected to the front 
of the mouth, against the hard palate. This done correct- 
ly, will cause the sound waves to vibrate as the virtuoso 
vibrates the strings of his violin and emits thereby a pure 
tone that fills a spacious auditorium with sound waves. 
But two things are necessary, viz., abdominal breathing 
and the projection of the rounded tone against the hard 
palate. Marchesi can tell you little more than this small 
paragraph does about correct voice production. 



Quality. ioi 

The vocal cords must be unconstrained, otherwise the 
voice will be stiff and throaty. Use the throat for a channel 
through which the tone-material merely passes. 

Pure Tone is the exponent of a tranquil state of mind 
and body: it is also used in expressing the tender emotions, 
as love, melancholy, cheerfulness, etc. 

EXAMPLES 
From Zbe JSells ot StotiEburst 

Now fold on fold 

The sunset gold 
Winds every westward vale in splendor; 

And faint and far 

To evening star 
The turrets toll their ditty tender. 

Wild College chimes 

The vanished times 
Live in your magic music air, 

Within my heart 

Old memories start 
And wake anew your Ave Maria. {P. J. Coleman) 

From "Plrietotle's poetics" 

Revealed Religion should be especially poetical — and it is so in 
fact. While its disclosures have an originality in them to engage the 
intellect, they have a beauty to satisfy the moral nature. It presents 
us with those ideal forms of excellence in which a poetical mind delights, 
and with which all grace and harmony are associated. It brings us 
into a new world — a world of overpowering interest, of the sublimest 
views and the tenderest and purest feelings. The peculiar grace of 
mind of the New Testament writers is as striking as the actual effect 
produced upon the hearts of those who have imbibed their spirit. 
At present we are not concerned with the practical, but the poetical 
nature of revealed truth. With Christians, a poetical view of things 
is a duty, — we are bid to color all things with hues of faith, to see a 
Divine meaning in every event, and a superhuman tendency. Even 



102 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

our friends around us are invested with unearthly brightness — no 
longer imperfect men, but beings taken into Divine favor, stamped 
with His seal, and in training for future happiness. It may be added 
that the virtues peculiarly Christian are especially poetical — meekness, 
gentleness, compassion, contentment, modesty, not to mention the 
devotional virtues; whereas the ruder and more ordinary feelings are 
the instruments of rhetoric more justly than of poetry — anger, indig- 
nation, emulation, martial spirit, and love of independence. (Newman) 



From H IRigbt in 5une 

O choir of silence, without noise of word! 

A human voice would break the mystic spell 

Of wavering shades and sounds; the lily bell 

Here at my feet sings melodies unheard; 

And clearer than the voice of any bird, — 

Yes even than that lark which loves so well, 

Hid in the hedges all the world to tell 

In trill and triple notes that May has stirred. 

"O love complete!" soft sings the mignonette; 

"O heart of All!" deep sighs the red, red rose; 

"O Heart of Christ!" the lily voices meet 

In fugue on fugue; and from the flag-edged, wet, 

Lush borders of the lake, the night wind blows 

The tenor of the reeds — "Love, love complete!" 

{Maurice F. Egan) 

From /Rbercbant of Venice Act V. 

How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! 

Here will we sit, and let the sounds of music 

Creep in our ears; soft stillness, and the night, 

Become the touches of sweet harmony. 

Sit, Jessica; look how the floor of heaven 

Is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold; 

There's not the smallest orb, which thou behold'st, 

But in his motion like an angel sings, 

Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubim; 

Such harmony is in immortal souls; 

But whilst this muddy vesture of decay 

Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it. {Shakespeare) 



Quality. 103 

From Criterion 

Every one ought to choose the profession for which nature has 
most fitted him. This rule is of great importance; it has often been 
neglected and the arts and sciences have suffered considerably in 
consequence. Some men imagine that the word "talent" means 
absolute ability. They suppose that a man who possesses abilities 
for one particular study, must likewise possess them for every other 
study. This is a great mistake. Experience teaches that some men 
have extraordinary abilities for some one branch of human knowledge, 
whilst in other branches they either do not succeed at all or their suc- 
cess will be very limited, notwithstanding the most intense application. 
Each talent has its own degree of strength and weakness. There 
are few men, we might say there is not a single man, who would suc- 
ceed equally well in all stations or professions. (Rev. J. Balmes.) 

From JBible, Science, anD ffaitb 

The book of Nature and the book of the Spirit, although appeal- 
ing to us in different tongues, ever voice the same testimon}^ and pro- 
claim the same truth. They both, in words eloquent and sublime, 
tell us of a God infinite in wisdom and love and perfection, who or- 
dains all things well, and who compasses His ends with infinite knowl- 
edge and power One may indeed reject the truths of the Bible 

and discard the teachings of faith, as the mariner may ignore the sav- 
ing bell or the friendly pharos; but he does so at his peril. Far from 
gaining anything by this mad assertion of independence— an inde- 
pendence which means not liberty and life, but rashness and destruction 
— he inevitably loses, and his loss carries with it the loss and death, 
it may be, of others besides. There is too much of doubt and uncer- 
tainty in the world of science for us to decline the undeniable helps of 
revelation — too much fog and darkness enveloping many problems of 
philosophy for us to close our eyes to the sun of Truth or for us to make 
naught of the light of God's inspired word. (Rev, J. A. Zahm.) 

From JBoofce anfc IReaDing 

I have strayed into many fields of literature, and culled flowers 
in many languages, and I can bear witness that, whilst there are cer- 
tain works in other languages which I appreciate more highly than 
works of the same grade in our own tongue, still, taking the literature 



104 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

of various countries as a whole, there is none of less objectionable 
character and of more elevating tone than is English literature, in 
its grand roll of authors from Widsith, the old English gleeman of 
the fourth century, down to the present laureate. But for this boon 
we are not to thank the Protestantism of England. It is rather due 
to the fact that the roots of English literature struck deep in Catholic 
soil, and the conservative character of the English people kept up the 
Catholic spirit and the Catholic traditions long after the very name of 
Catholic had become offensive. That Catholic spirit still lingers in the 
cloistered aisles and corridors of Oxford. It hovers over the vacant 
tomb of Edward the Confessor within the hallowed walls of Westminster 
Abbey. It speaks in tower and pillared dome throughout the land 
"of which every arch has its scroll teaching Catholic Wisdom, and 
every window represents some canonized saint." It breathes through 
the Catholic prayers still preserved in the Book of Common Prayer. 
It has become transfused into some of the noblest passages in Para- 
dise Lost; the Arianism and the Protestantism are Milton's own; but 
his magnificent lines clothe many a sentiment of tenderness and sub- 
limity culled from the pages of Caedmon, St. Avitus, Andreini, the 
Catholic mediaeval miracle plays, and Lucifer, the Catholic drama 
of Vondel, the great Catholic and national poet of Holland. 

(Brother Azarias) 

From lpataDiee Canto XXII. 

Astounded, to the guardian of my steps 
I turn'd me, like the child, who always runs 
Thither for succour, where he trusteth most, 
And she was like the mother, who her son 
Beholding pale and breathless, with her voice 
Soothes him, and he is cheer'd; for thus she spake 
Soothing me: knowest not thou, thou art in heav'n? 
And know' st thou not, whatever is in heav'n, 
Is holy, and that nothing there is done 
But is done zealously and well? Deem now, 
What change in thee the song, and what my smile 
Had wrought, since thus the shout had pow'r to move thee, 
In which couldst thou have understood their prayers, 
The vengeance were already known to thee, 
Which thou must witness ere thy mortal hour 
The sword of heaven is not in haste to smite, 
Nor yet doth linger, save unto his seeming, 
Who in desire or fear doth look for it. (Cary's Dante) 



Quality. 105 

From /Hbartin Xutber anfc Ibis American IKnorsbtppere 

(American Catholic Quarterly Review, July, 1884.) 

Modern taste unfortunately — and we may thank Luther's teach- 
ing for it — is no longer Christian, but pagan. Our heroes, too often 
nowadays, are made and held up for worship, not on the score of religion, 
virtue, or love of country, but because they are of the world, wordly, 
mouthpieces in word, or patterns indeed of the bad passions and corrupt 
inclinations that belong to unregenerate man. They have their use, 
too; for they are put up by a few bad men, and stand on their pedestals 
mute but eloquent witnesses of the cowardly servility that is an un- 
failing mark of all degenerate communities and peoples. Thus Greece 
of old, in her halls, groves, and high- ways, for one bust of Plato or 
Leonidas, had full twenty of Aphrodite, Eros, Priapus and adulterous 

Jove Luther deserves no statue at the hands of the American 

people, nor in their chief city, for his teachings or any influence they 
may have exercised on civil and religious liberty. The idle boast that 
our political liberty has any connection with Martin Luther or his 
Reformation is sufficiently disproved by the fact that the liberties of 
Germany were effectually lost, after Lutheranism had brought Ger- 
many under its influence, and nowhere more thoroughly than in Scan- 
dinavian Europe, where it became supreme without a rival. (Mon- 
signor Corcoran) 



From Sweet ffnnistallen 



Sweet Innisfallen, long shall dwell 

In memory's dream that sunny smile, 

Which o'er thee on that evening fell, 
When first I saw thy fairy isle. 

'Twas light, indeed, too blest for one, 
Who had to turn to paths of care — 

Through crowded haunts again to run, 
And leave thee bright and silent there; 

No more unto thy shores to come 

But on the world's rude ocean tost, 

Dream of thee sometimes as a home 

Of sunshine he had seen and lost. {Moore) 



106 Elements of Expression, VocAiv and Physical. 

Ube ©rotun& 

The Orotund is a rich, deep, resonant chest-tone. It 
is the Pure Tone amplified. The volume of Pure Tone is 
increased when the sentiments, which Pure Tone conveys, 
become more elevated. Thus, in expressing our esteem, 
love, or mere admiration, we employ the simple Pure Tone. 
But when esteem heightens to reverence, love to adoration, 
admiration to awe, then the tone swells in harmon3^ until 
it merges into what is called Orotund. 

The Orotund requires deep breathing, great freedom, 
and a liberal opening of the vocal apparatus. 

EXAMPLES 
From Gbe tnoDen <3em 

Father! who here this thing of clay didst fashion 
Into Thine Image's terrestrial frame, 
Its dust together hold, or free disperse, 
Where rest my fathers, or as outcasts flung; 
Make it the earthworm's, or the vulture's feast, 
So that from its corruption flash my soul, 
Into the furnace of Thy purest fire: 
Or rather, like a pearl, be gently dropped 
Into the abyss of Thy great ocean-bosom, 
To seek in vain for surface, depth, or margin, 
Absorbed, yet unconsumed, entranced, yet, free. 

(Cardinal Wiseman) 

Hpoetropbe to tbe ©cean 

Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean, roll! 
Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain; 
Man marks the earth with ruin; his control 
Stops with the shore; upon the watery plain 
The wrecks are all thy deed, nor doth remain 
A shadow of man's ravage, save his own, 






Quality. 107 

When, for a moment, like a drop of rain, 

He sinks into thy depths with bubbling groan, 

Without a grave, unknelled, uncoffined, and unknown. 
* * * * 

Thou glorious mirror, where the Almighty's form 
Glasses itself in tempests; in all time, 
Calm or convulsed — in breeze, or gale, or storm, 
Icing the pole, or in the torrid clime 
Dark-heaving; boundless, endless, and sublime — 
The image of Eternity — the throne 
Of the Invisible; even from out thy slime 
The monsters of the deep are made; each zone 
Obeys thee; thou goest forth, dread, fathomless, alone! 

{Byron) 

Gbe Xauncbing of tbe Sbtp 

And see! she stirs! 

She starts, — she moves, — she seems to feel 

The thrill of life along her keel, 

And, spurning with her foot the ground, 

With one exulting, joyous bound, 

She leaps into the ocean's arms! 

Supposes Speecb ot 5obn HDams 

Sir, before God, 1 believe the hour is come. My judgment approves 
this measure, and my whole heart is in it. All that I have, and all 
that I am, and all that I hope in this life, I am now ready here to stake 
upon it; and I leave off as I began, that, live or die, survive or perish, 
I am for the Declaration. It is my living sentiment, and, by the bless- 
ing of God, it shall be my dying sentiment; independence now, and in- 
dependence forever. 

From fl>araDise Canto XXX. 

O prime enlightener! thou who gav'st me strength 
On the high triumph of thy realm to gaze! 
Grant virtue now to utter what I kenn'd. 



108 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

There is in heav'n a light, whose goodly shine 

Makes the Creator visible to all 

Created, that in seeing him alone 

Have peace: and in a circle spreads so far, 

That the circumference wore too loose a zone 

To girdle in the sun. All is one beam, 

Reflected from the summit of the first, 

That moves, which being hence and vigour takes, 

And as some cliff, that from the bottom eyes 

Its image mirror' d in the crystal flood, 

As if to admire its brave apparelling 

Of verdure and of flowers; so, round about, 

Eyeing the light, on more than million thrones, 

Stood, eminent, whatever from our earth 

Has to the skies return' d. (Cary's Dante) 

From TLbe JSells of Stongburet 

Old College bells! 

Your carol swells 
Like angel chords, or voices fairy; 

Within my soul 

I hear you toll 
In fancy still your Ave Maria. 

Old bells, old bells! 

Your music tells 
Of joyous hours and friendships cherished, 
Of smiles and tears, and golden years 
And dreams and hopes that long have perished. 

Ah, sweet and sad, 

When evening glad 
Gives rest to hearts with toiling weary, 

By memories tolled, 

Sweet bells of old! 
To hear again your Ave Maria. (P.J. Coleman) 

From St* *>erculanu6 

"Perugians, stand! 
Fight for the faith of the fatherland; 
Your leader I; strike, strike for God, 
Your altars and your native sod." 



Quality. . 109 

His voice gives nerves the strength of steel, 
Gives hearts the valor heroes feel; 
One purpose gleams in every eye: 
"On to the fight and victory!" 

Brave heart! outstripping e'en the brave, 
You fell, but in your fall you gave 
Example fair of steadfast faith, 
Of dauntless soul, of glorious death. 

By craft, not arms, the city falls, 

The foeman's sentries pace the walls: 

Your veins a city's ransom hold — 

What bliss ! you die to save your fold ! {Leo XIII) 

From TLbe Buelist'0 Ibonor 

Upon what ground can he who engages in a duel, through fear 
of ignominy, lay claim to courage? Unfortunate delinquent! Do 
you not see by how many links your victim was bound to a multitude 
of others? Does his vain and idle resignation of his title to life absolve 
you from the enormous claims which society has upon you for his 
services; — his family for that support of which you have robbed them, 
without your own enrichment? Go, stand over that body; call back 
that soul which you have driven from its tenement; take up that hand 
which your pride refused to touch, not one hour ago. You have in 
your pride and wrath, usurped one prerogative of God — you have 
inflicted death. At least, in mercy, attempt the exercise of another; 
breathe into those distended nostrils, — let your brother be once more 
a living soul! Merciful Father! how powerless are we for good but 
how mighty for evil! Wretched man! he does not answer, — he cannot 
rise. All your efforts to make him breathe are vain. His soul is 
already in the presence of your common Creator. Like the wretched 
Cain will you answer, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Why do you 
turn away from the contemplation of your honorable work? Yes, 
go far as you will, still the. admonition will ring in* your ears: // was 
by your hand he fell! {Bishop England) 



XTbe Hspirate 

The Aspirate is used when the mind is stirred] with ap- 
prehension, when we wish to caution others without being 



no Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

overheard, when extremely affrighted, and in expressing every 
form of secrecy. 

It is a breathy quality demanding little or no vocality. 
The production of this quality is an excellent voice exercise, 
but we should stop before the organs become dry, and take 
great care to economize the breath. 

EXAMPLES 
From /ifcacbetb Act II. 

Macbeth. Whence is that knocking? — 

How is't with me, when every noise appals me? 

What hands are here! Ha! they pluck out mine eyes. 

Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood 

Clean from my hands? No! this my hand will rather 

The multitudinous seas incarnadine, 

Making the green one red. 

Re-enter Lady Macbeth. 
Lady M. My hands are of your color; but I shame 

To wear a heart so white, (knock.) I hear a knocking 

At the south entry: — retire we to our chamber. 

A little water clears us of this deed: 

How easy is it, then? Your constancy 

Hath left you unattended. — (knock.) Hark! more knocking. 

Get out your night gown, lest occasion call us, 

And show us to be watchers. — Be not lost 

So poorly in your thoughts. 
Macb. To know my deed, 'twas best not know myself. (knock) 

Wake Duncan with thy knocking: I would thou couldst! 

(Shakespeare) 

From Zbe 2>£tn0 Christian to 1foi6 Soul 



Hark! they whisper: angels say, 

Sister spirit come away. 

What is this absorbs me quite, 

Steals my senses, shuts my sight, 

Drowns my spirits, draws my breath? 

Tell me, my soul, can this be death? (Pope) 






Quality . 1 1 1 

From TLhe HM&fcen (3em 

Bibulus. This wa}% masters, this way, we are now just at the 
door. 

I. Robber. Which way? 
Bib . Why this way. 

II. Rob. But which is this way? 
Bib. Follow me, you — 

/. Rob. Come, no sauce — where are you? 
Bib. Follow your nose, then, straight across the court. 
[They meet in the middle .] 
Here we are at last all together, now take hold of one another, 
and follow me. (Cardinal Wiseman) 

From IkiWQ Jobtt Act IV. 

Arthur. O! now you look like Hubert: all this while you were 
disguised. 

Hubert. Peace! no more, adieu. 

Your uncle must not know but you are dead: 
I'll fill these dogg'd spies with false reports; 
And, pretty child, sleep doubtless, and secure, 
That Hubert, for the wealth of all the world, 
Will not offend thee. 

Arth. O Heaven! — I thank you Hubert. 
Much danger do I undergo for thee. (Shakespeare) 

From :6ssa£ on Satire 

Each fool to low ambition, poorly great, 

That pines in splendid wretchedness of state, 

Tired in the treacherous chase, would nobly yield, 

And but for shame, like Sylla, quit the field: 

The demon Shame paints strong the ridicule, 

And whispers close, " The world will call you fool. " (Pope) 

From Ibamlet Act J. 

Angels and ministers of grace defend us ! — 

Be thou a spirit of health, or goblin damn'd, 

Bring with thee airs from heaven, or blasts from hell, 

Be thy intents wicked or charitable, 



Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Thou com' st in such a questionable shape, 

That I will speak to thee; I'll call thee, Hamlet, 

King, father, royal Dane; O, answer me; 

Let me not burst in ignorance! but tell 

Why thy canonized bones, hearsed in death, 

Have burst their cerements! why the sepulchre. 

Wherein we saw thee quietly inurn'd, 

Hath oped his ponderous and marble jaws, 

To cast thee up again! {Shakespeare) 



Zhc Guttural 

The etymology of this word gives us a clue to its quality. 
It is derived from the Latin word guttur — throat, because 
it is of the throat, throaty. It is the result of a rigid con- 
dition of the vocal organs arising from the intensity of the 
passions it manifests. It is a gruff, discordant tone, emi- 
nently fitted to express extreme anger, intense rage, deep 
contempt, and merciless revenge. If we would give just ex- 
pression to our hatred for detestable things, we must ac- 
quire this quality. 

EXAMPLES 

From ftbe IbtDDen ©em 

Again, and again, I have been vilely used, down to the last night ! 

Aye, last night! That was the last drop! That can never be blotted 

out except by one means. — Yes, in the intense solitude of that foul 

dungeon, — in the Tartarus of that broiling furnace — in the murkiness 

of that endless night — still more, in the bitterness of an envenomed 

soul — in the recklessness of despair — yea, through gnashing teeth 

and parched throat — I, Bibulus, vowed revenge — fatal revenge. My 

manacles and gyves rung like cymbals, as my limbs quivered while 

I uttered the burning words; and a hollow moan, or laugh — I know 

not which — reechoed them through the vault. 

* * * * 

And when did an Asiatic heart retract such a vow? When did 
it forego the sweet, delicious thought — the only luxury of a slave — 



Quality. 113 

revenge? Down, ye growling curs of remorse! Hush! hissing 

worms of conscience! You are too late — the potion is mixed, and 
the fatal drug cannot be extracted. And then remember Ardea — 
this afternoon — with its death of a mad hound foaming at the mouth, 
or a viper shrivelled up on a scorching bank. No; no more qualms. 
What I am going to do is a safe remedy of all my ills — the easiest 
way of gaining all my ends. (Cardinal Wiseman) 

From ©tbellO Act III. 

Othello. O, that the slave had forty thousand lives, 
One is too poor, too weak for my revenge: 
Now do I see 'tis true. — Look here, lago; 
All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven; 'tis gone. — 
Arise, black vengeance from thy hollow cell! 
Yield up, O love! thy crown, and hearted throne, 
To tyrannous hate! swell, bosom with thy fraught. 
For 'tis of aspics' tongues! 

lago. Pray, be content. 

Oth. O, blood, lago, blood! (Shakespeare) 

From Zbe JSattle of Umocfctuaab 

Then stept fierce Cathal to the front the Chieftains standing nigh; 
"Proud stranger take our answer back, and this our reason why: — 
Our wolves are gaunt for lack of food — our eagles pine away, 
And to glut them with your flesh, lo! we stop }*ou here to-day!" 
"Now, gramercy for the thought!" Calm Sir Hugolin replied, 
And with a steadfast look and mien that wrathful Chieftain eyed: — ■ 
"Yet should your wild birds covet not the dainty fare you name, 
Then, by the rood, our Norman swords shall carve them better game! 

By the Author of " The Monks of Kilcrea." 

From Cortolanus Act V. 

Measureless liar, thou hast made my heart 

Too great for what contains it. Boy! O slave! 

Pardon me, lords, 'tis the first time that ever 

I was forc'd to scold. Your judgments, my grave lords, 

Must give this cur the lie; and his own notion 

(Who wears n^ stripes, impress' d upon him, that 

Must bear my beating to his grave) shall join 



ii4 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

To thrust the lie upon him. 
/. Lord. Peace both, and hear me speak. 

Cor. Cut me to pieces, Voices; men and lads, 

Stain all your edges on me. — Boy! False hound! 

If you have writ your annals true, 'tis there, 

That like an eagle in a dove-cot, I 

Flutter'd your Volscians in Corioli; 

Alone I did it. — Boy! {Shakespeare) 



From Zbc Siege of /Ifta^nootb 

The Earl heaped favors on thee? — Never heaped king more on Lord. 
He loved thee? honored thee? — I was his heart, his arm, his sword! 
He trusted thee? — Even as he trusted his own lofty soul! 
And thou betray edst him? Base wretch! thou knowest the traitor's 

goal ! 
Ho Provost Marshal, hither! Take this losel caitiff hence 
I mark, methinks, a scaffold under yonder stone defence. 
Off with his head! By heaven, the blood within me boils and seethes! 
To look on him! So vile a knave pollutes the air he breathes! 

{J. C. Mangan) 



XTbe pectoral 

The etymology of this word also stands us in good stead. 
It has its origin from pectus, the breast, because it derives 
its resonance from the lower part of the chest. It is deeper 
than the Orotund but lacks its strength and purity. It 
is tinged with the Aspirate and the Orotund. In the ex- 
pression of hatred, terror, remorse, awe, etc., it is very effective. 

EXAMPLES 

From Ibell Canto XXX. 

"O ye, who in this world of misery, 
Wherefore I know not, are exempt from pain," 
Thus, he began, "attentively regard 
Adamo's woe. When, living, full supply 



Quality. 115 

Ne'er lacked me of what most I coveted; 

One drop of water now, alas! I crave. 

The rills, that glitter down the glassy slopes 

Of Casentino, making fresh and soft 

The hanks whereby they glide to Arno's stream, 

Stand ever in my view; and not in vain: 

For more the pictured semblance cfries me up, 

Much more than the disease, which makes the flesh 

Desert the shrivell'd cheeks." (Cary's Dante) 

From <3ot> in tbe IRigbt 

Deep in the dark I hear the feet of God: 

He walks the world ; He puts His holy hand 

On every sleeper — only puts His hand — 

Within it benedictions for each one — 

Then passes on; but ah! when e'er He meets 

A watcher waiting for Him, He is glad. 

(Does God like man, feel lonely in the dark?) 

He rests His hand upon the watcher's brow — 

But more than that, He leaves His very breath 

Upon the watcher's soul, and more than this, 

He stays for holy hours where watchers pray: 

And more than that, He oftentimes lifts the veils 

That hide the visions of the world unseen. 

The brightest sanctities of highest souls 

Have blossomed into beauty in the dark. (Father Ryan) 

From <3o$ IRevealeD in IRature 

God of Christians! it is on the waters of the abyss and on the vast 
expanse of the heavens that Thou hast particularly engraven the char- 
acters of Thy omnipotence! Millions of stars sparkling in the azure 
of the celestial dome — the moon, in the midst of the firmament — a 
sea unbounded by any shore — infinitude in the skies and on the waves 
— proclaim with most impressive effect the power of Thy arm! Never 
did Thy greatness strike me with profounder awe than in those nights, 
when, suspended between the stars and the ocean, I beheld immensity 
over my head and immensity beneath my feet ! 

I am nothing ; I am only a simple, solitary wanderer, and often have 
I heard men of science disputing on the subject of a Supreme Being, 
without understanding them; but I have invariably remarked, that 



n6 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

it is in the prospect of sublime scenes of nature that this unknown 
Being manifests Himself to the human heart. (Chateaubriand) 



XTbe jfalsetto 

The Falsetto is that thin, shrill voice which we use when 
we exceed our natural compass. It is used in fright, affec- 
tation, screaming, and in petulant emphasis. Men sometimes 
employ this quality of voice in imitating women and chil- 
dren. 

EXAMPLES 

From prologue to "£be dfoaiDen ©ueen" 

Women like us passing for men you'll cry, 

Presume too much upon your secrecy 

The ladies we shall not so easily please: 

They'll say, "What impudent bold things are these, 

That dare provoke, } T et cannot do us right, 

Like men, with huffing looks, that dare not fight. (Dryden) 

From Zbc poet's Xtttle IRival 

Then the poet leans and listens 

With a quaint and tender air, 

As the bird-like child goes darting 

Through the beautiful parterre. 

"Bravo! Bravo! little poet!" 

(Startled, flushed with love's sunshine:) 

"See my poem, papa darling! 

Every word a blossom fine." 

"Sweet," he says: "God bless thee daughter; 

Ne'er was poem writ like thine ! ' ' (Eleanor C. Donnelly) 

From JSilen dfciooleton 

Julia was standing at the head of the stone, steps that I have de- 
scribed as forming one of the extremities of the veranda ; and as she 
placed her foot on one of the moss-covered slippery steps she called 



Quality. 117 

out, " I'm going down — I'll have my own way now. " I seized her hand, 
and drawing her back exclaimed, "Don't Julia!" on which she said, 
"You had better not tease me; you are to be sent away if you tease me. " 
I felt as if a viper had stung me; the blood rushed to my head, and I 
struck her: she reeled under the blow, her foot slipped, and she fell 
headlong down the steps. A voice near me said, "She has killed her!" 

(Lady Georgiana Fullerton) 

From Zhc IRape of tbe Xocfc 

"Oh, wretched maid!" She spread her hands and cried, 

While Hampton's echoes, "wretched maid!" replied, 

"Was it for this you took such constant care 

The bodkin, comb, and essence to prepare? 

For this your locks in paper durance bound? 

For this with torturing irons wreathed around? 

For this with fillets strained your tender head, 

And bravely bore the double loads of lead? 

Gods! shall the ravisher display your hair, 

While the fops envy, and the ladies stare? 

And shall this prize, th' inestimable prize, 

Exposed through crystal to the gazing eyes, 

And heighten 'd by the diamonds circling rays, 

On that rapacious hand forever blaze? 

vSooner shall grass in Hyde Park circus grow, 

And wits take lodgings in the sound of Bow! 

Sooner let air, earth, sea, to chaos fall, 

Men, monkeys, lapdogs, parrots, perish all!" (Pope) 



GENERAL EXAMPLES 
From ffatber Connel 

Helen heard the noise of a heavy blow, and the long shrieks sud- 
denly stopped, subsiding into a low, melancholy cry, followed by 
deep, deep moans; and a second blow, accompanied by a hissing sound 
of human breath, such as workmen utter, when they labor with a 
hatchet. Perfect silence ensued for a short time, only interrupted 
by the whispering of the nightbreeze through the grass, and through 
the bushes, and by the gentle fall of water near at hand. Hasty 
footsteps entered the little hollow, and paused within a few feet of 
where she la3 7 concealed. 



n8 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

"This is the place he bade us wait for him," said a hoarse, deep 
voice but in cautious tones. 

"It is," answered another person — and the two words were spoken 
with a shudder. 

"That was a black act," continued the first voice. 

"Oh, it was a bloody deed! Oh, the thought of this night will 
never leave my mind, never, never!" (Banim) 



From Mature proclaims a DeitE 

There is a God! the herbs of the valley, the cedars of the mountain 
bless him; the insect sports in His beams; the bird sings Him in the 
foliage; the thunder proclaims Him in the Heavens, the ocean declares 
His immensity: man alone has said, there is no God! Unite in thought 
at the same instant the most beautiful objects in nature. Suppose 
that yoti see, at once, all the hours of the day, and all the seasons of the 
year; a morning of spring and a morning of autumn: a night bespangled 
with stars, and a night darkened by clouds; meadows enamelled with 
flowers; forests hoary with snow; fields gilded by the tints of autumn 
— then alone you will have a just conception of the universe! 

( Chateaubriand) 

From pbtlosopbE of tnstorg 

Christianity was the connecting power which linked together 
the great community of European nations, not only in the moral and 
political relations of life, but also in science and modes of thinking. 
The Church was like the all-embracing vault of heaven, beneath whose 
kindly shelter, those warlike nations began to settle in peace, and 
gradually to frame their laws and institutions. Even the office of 
instruction, the heritage of Christian knowledge, the promotion of 
science, and of all that tended to advance the progress of the human 
mind, devolved to the care of the Church, and were exclusively con- 
fined to the Christian schools. . . .The little knowledge that was then 
possessed, was by the more active spirit, and the sound understanding 
and practical sense of the European nations, and their better priest- 
hood, applied with general advantage to the interests of Society. Sci- 
ence was not then, as in the latter period of its proud ascendency, 
in open hostility with the pure dictates of faith and the institutions of 
life. On that world so variously excited in peace, as in war, and by 
the different pursuits of art and industry, useful knowledge and whole- 
some speculation descended, not like a violent flood, but like the soft 



Quality. 119 

distillations of the refreshing dew, or the gentle drops of fertilizing rain, 
from the Heaven of faith which over -arched the whole. 

{Frederick von Schlegel) 

From 2H Sermon on Ibeaven 

You have found yourself, perchance, upon a summer day, with- 
in the sanctuary of some sequestered vale; the tempered sunshine 
rests on all; in the rain-freshened verdure of the tree above you, and of 
the grass beneath your feet; on the smiling hills that enfold you on 
every side; on the sleeping waters of the lake beneath. The air is 
sweet with the scent of flowers, and cooled by the plashing of the shady 
stream; sounds of song are in the sky above, and in the woods and 
thickets around. Though, indeed, you scarcely note each several 
charm; for it is the unspeakable harmony of all, and its unison with 
the chords of your heart within, that you are sensible of as you pant 
out, in a very rapture of thanksgiving, My God, this is heavenly! 

Yes, it is; and thank Him for such a glimpse into the mirror, when 
the very smoothness of unfallen nature is upon it, when the Peace of 
Paradise seems restored, and the unclouded smile of its not yet out- 
raged God seems reflected on earth that bears as yet no curse. Make 
the most of such hours, for they will quickly pass: the valley will be 
storm- swept, the skies darkened, the verdure, the fragrance, the melody, 
— all will soon go. But that is to remind you that what you have seen 
is an image, and not the reality; it is not to take awa}^ the lesson that 
its beauty has taught you, nor to rob you of the hope it has kindled 
in your soul. For the invisible Heaven of God is clearly seen from the 
created world below, being understood through its image in creation. 

{Archbishop Ryan) 

From Sursum Cor&a 

Homeless hearts! homeless hearts! through the dreary, dreary years, 
Ye are lonely, lonely wand'rers, and your way is wet with tears; 
In bright or blighted places, wheresoever ye may roam, 
Ye look away from earth-land, and ye murmur, "Where is home? 

Homeless hearts ! God is Home!" {Father Ryan) 

From XLO a XLomb 

What horror at thy sight shoots through each sense! 
How powerful is thy silent eloquence 
Which never flatters! Thou instruct'st the proud, 
That their swoll'n pomp is but an empty cloud, 



120 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Slave to each wind; the fair, those flowers they have 

Fresh in their cheek, are strewed upon a grave. 

Thou tell'st the rich their idol is but earth; 

The vainly pleased, that syren-like their mirth 

Betrays to mischief, and that only he 

Dares welcome death, whose aims at virtue be. (Habington) 

From Zhe IftecessitE of IRelteton for Society 

Religion is the only solid basis of society. If the social edifice 
rests not on this eternal and immutable foundation, it will soon crumble 
to pieces. It would be as vain to attempt to establish society with- 
out religion as to erect a palace in the air, or on shifting sands, or to 
hope to reap a crop from seed scattered on the ocean's surface. Re- 
ligion is to society what cement is to the building: it makes all parts 
compact and coherent. What principles without religion are bind- 
ing enough to exact of you that obedience which you owe to society 
and to the laws of your country? Is it the dread of civil punishment? 
But the civil power takes cognizance only of overt acts. It has no 
jurisdiction over the heart, which is the seat of rebellion, the secret 
council chamber where dark schemes are concocted. The civil power 
cannot enter the hidden recesses of the soul, and quell the tumults 
raging there. It cannot suppress those base calumnies, whispered in 
the dark, which poison the social atmosphere with their foul breath, 
and breed hatred, resentment, and death. You might as well try to 
preserve a tree from decay by lopping oil a few withered branches whilst 
allowing the worms to gnaw at the roots, as to try preserve the social 
tree from moral corruption by preventing some external crimes whilst 
leaving the heart to be worm-eaten by vice. (Cardinal Gibbons) 

From 1b am let Act III. 

Whereto serves mercy, 
But to confront the visage of offense? 
And what's in prayer, but this two-fold force, — 
To be forestalled ere we come to fall, 
Or pardoned, being down? Then I'll look up. 
My fault is passed. But, O, what form of prayer 
Can serve my turn? Forgive me my foul murder! — 
That cannot be; since I am still possess'd 
Of those effects for which I did the murder. 

My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen 

Try what repentance can: What can it not? 
Yet what can it, when one cannot repent? 



Quality. 121 

O wretched state! O bosom, black as death! 

O limed soul, that, struggling to be free, 

Art more engag'd! Help angels, make assay! 

Bow, stubborn knees! and heart, with strings of steel, 

Be soft as sinews of the new-born babe; 

All may be well. {Shakespeare) 

From Ibereatter 

Is it not sweet to think, hereafter 
When the spirit leaves this sphere, 
Love with deathless wing will waft her 
To those she long hath mourned for here? 
Hearts from which 'twas death to sever, 
Eyes, this world can ne'er restore, 
There as warm, as bright as ever, 
Shall meet us and be lost no more. 
When wearily we wander, asking 
Of earth and heaven, where are they 
Beneath whose smiles we once lay basking 
Blest, and thinking bliss would stay? 
Hope still lifts her radiant finger 
Pointing to the eternal home 
Upon whose portal yet they linger. 
Looking back for us to come. {Moore) 

From JSrutua's Ibarangue over tbe 2)ea& JBoDg of Xucretia 

Thus, thus my friends! fast as our breaking hearts 

Permitted utterance, we have told our story; 

And now, to say one word of the imposture — 

The mask, necessity has made me wear. 

When the ferocious malice of your king, — 

King! do I call him? — when the monster, Tarquin, 

Slew, as most of you may well remember, 

My father, Marcus, and m}' elder brother, 

Envying at once their virtues and their wealth, 

How could I hope shelter from his power, 

But in the false face I have worn so long? 

Say — would you seek instructions: would you seek 

What ye should do? Ask ye yon conscious walls 

Which saw his poison'd brother, saw the incest 

Committed there, and they will cry, Revenge! — 

(/. Howard Payne) 



CHAPTER X. 



planes of (Besture 

Gesture has three points of direction: Ascending) Hori- 
zontal, and Descending. Ascending gesture moves from the 
level of the shoulder toward the zenith. Horizontal gesture 
is the middle between ascending and descending. It is 
even with the shoulder. Descending gesture moves from 
the shoulder to the nadir. Each of these may be made 
toward the front, the oblique, the side or lateral, and the 
backward oblique. * 

The Hand has several different positions or uses. The 
principal uses of the hand are — the Supine, in which the 
palm faces up; the Prone, with the palm down; the Ver- 
tical, with the palm out ; the Index, with the index finger 
extended and most prominent; the Clasped, and the Clinched. 
Taking the first letter of each of the above we have the 
following concise notation of gesture : 



A. F 


.ascending front. 


A. 


oblique. 


A. L 


lateral. 


A. B. 0. . 


backward oblique 


H. F 


horizontal front. 


H. 


oblique. 


H. L 


lateral. 


H. B. 0. . 


backward oblique 


D. F 


descending front 


D. 


oblique. 


D. L 


lateral. 



Planes of Gesture. 123 

D. B. 0. . . . descending backward oblique. 

R. H right hand. 

L. H left hand. 

B. H both hands. 

S supine. 

P prone. 

V. . . vertical. 

/ index. 

Cla clasped. 

Cli clinched. 

Ascending gesture belongs to the imagination. It per- 
tains to the realms of the ideal, the virtuous, the noble, 
the heavenly, and, in general, expresses superiority. 

Horizontal gesture belongs to the realm of the intellect. 
It is employed in locating, denoting equality, etc. 

Descending gesture belongs to the will and is used there- 
fore in bold assertion and strong resolution. It is also used 
to express inferiority, the baser passions, and, in general, 
things that we scorn or hate. 

Front gestures signify nearness. They are more direct 
and personal than the others. 

Oblique gestures are less emphatic than front gestures. 
They are used more in generalities. 

Lateral gestures are less emphatic than even the oblique. 
They express great extent, universality, etc. 

Backward gestures refer to something remote either geo- 
graphically or chronologically. 

The supine hand reveals, the prone conceals or imposes % 
the vertical repels, the index points out, the clasped strongly 
entreats, the clinched shows the existence of strong passion. 

These significations are not to be looked on as specific. 
They are general and admit of a very liberal interpretation. 
For practice on these different planes of gesture and faces 
of the hand, assume the Unexcited position, let the arms 



124 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

hang loosely and entirely decomposed. Now raise the arm 
in the required direction taking care that the shoulder 
leads and each joint unfolds in succession. At the emphatic 
word end the gesture by a quick turn of the wrist. This 
last movement is known as the ictus of the gesture, or the 
climax. However, be the movement of the arm as grace- 
ful as it may be, unless the position of the hand harmonizes, 
the effect wdll be unpleasant. 

For the expression of ordinary sentiments the hand should 
be gently opened with index finger extended, thumb slightly 
bent outward, the outer fingers gracefully curved. They 
should neither be widely separated nor tightly pressed 
together. 

Carry the right hand through all of the above planes 
of gesture, and, as far as practicable, in all the different 
faces of the hand. Practice the left next, and then both 
together in the same way. The descending vertical and 
the double backward oblique are not practicable. 

In the sentences given below the abbreviations show 
what gestures are appropriate. Where the hand is not 
mentioned, the right is supposed, and where the use is not 
given, the supine is to be understood. 



Ube Supine 1foan& 

This hand may be used in the expression of almost any 
emotion. In general, it is used to reveal. 



Single Supine f>an& 

D. F. 

I demand my right. 

I submit the matter to your decision. 



Planes of Gesture. 125 

D. 0. 
There is no foundation for these assertions. 
What could I do in such a state of health? 

D. L. 

Away with such trifling! 

To thine own self be true, 

And it must follow as the night the day, 

Thou canst not then be false to any man. 

D. B. 0. 
Away with such an abominable idea. 
Let those who did the deed now look to it. 

H. F. 

Sir, I appeal to you, for you were present. 
This above all, to thine own self be true. 

H. 0. 

Do you confess so much? Give me your hand. 
This is my opinion, Gentlemen. 

H. L. 
Search the latest records and you will find it inscribed. 
Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. 

H. B, 0. 
Turning from civilization, he struck out into the jungle. 
His past life now appears to him a dream. 

.4. F. 

Oh ! Jesus, seize my hand and lead me home. 

But conquered now, and crushed, I look aloft. 
And sorrow leads me, Father, back to thee. 

A. 0. 

The angels of God watch over us ever. 



126 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

The same stars look down upon man that looked upon the shepherds 
on the hills of Bethlehem. 

A. L. 

The Dipper, great in size but proportionate to the rest of the heavens, 
is known to everyone. 

The sun, the moon, the stars proclaim His name. 

A. B. 0. 

Our forefathers, men of sterling worth, died for this faith. 
Hurrah ! Hurrah ! great Caesar comes. 



JBotb Iban&s Supine 

B. H. D. F. 
I am willing to lay down all I possess, at thy command. 

death! where is thy sting? 

B. H. D. 0. 

Behold me at thy feet! 

We can easily afford to grant this. 

B. H. D. L. 

Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction. 

1 utterly renounce the supposed advantages. 

B. H. H. F. 

I beg of you to consider the consequences of such a decision. 
Here I stand longing ardently for you. 

B. H. H. 0. 
Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears. 
It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes. 

B. H. H. L. 

On every side, we behold evidences of the Creator's goodness. 
The world, from end to end, sends up His praise. 



Planes of Gesture. 127 

B. H. A. F. 
Oh, God! we praise thee. 
Oh, sacred Liberty! I lift my hands to thee. 

B. H. A. 0. 

The many stars I see were planted by an almighty hand. 
The gathering clouds, like meeting armies, come on apace. 

B. H. A. L. 

Not a star glittered in all the firmament. 
Joy, joy! we are safe at last. 



Single 1ban& prone 

The Prone hand is as extensively used as the supine. 
It generally represses and conceals. 

D. F. 

Down slave, before me and pay your allegiance. 

Even Genius feels rebuked and subdued, as in the presence of higher 
qualities. 

D. 0. 

The wild rose grew above that unknown grave. 
Let every true patriot repress such a feeling. 

D. L. 

Repentance will cover that sin. 
The noise died away. 

D. B. 0. 

I depise thy threats of harm to me. 

I utterly contemn and abhor such dealings. 

H. F. 

O Hamlet! speak no more. 

Far ahead we saw the smoke of a great steamer. 



128 Elements of Expression, Vocai, and Physical. 

H. 0. 

Friendship has a power, 

To soothe affliction in her darkest hour. 

Peace, dreamer, thou hast done well. 

H. L. 
The landscape fades from view. 
No more shall melancholy brood therein. 

H. B, 0. 
The dread visitation from God was come upon Gomorrah. 
Looking back to your deeds of yesterday, have you not much to dread? 

A. F. 

He has suspended the sword above you. 
Forbear, pollute not that sacred name. 

A. 0. 

Ye gods, withhold your wrath. 
The rising sun put out the stars. 

A. L. 
Do you see that dark cloud over there? 
The top of yon high mount we gained. 

A. B. 0. 
The Decalogue was given amidst Sinai's thunder. 

No other institution carries the mind back to the time when the home 
of the Christian was a catacomb. 

Both Iban&s prone 

B. H. D. F. 
Here we gently laid him down and covered him. 
I saw before me the mutilated corpse. 



Planes of Gesture. 129 

B. H. D. 0. 
Down with all such sentiments forever. 
Frail men! bow down your necks to his yoke. 

B. H. D. L. 

In the graves of every nation lie unknown heroes. 
Time, in his onward march, destroys all the works of man. 

B. H. H. F. 
On horror's head, horrors accumulate. 
My blessing rest on you. 

B. H. H. 0. 

Night closed over the city. 

Heaven blast your hopes with its heavy curse. 

B. H. H. L. 
O'er all the world darkness reigns supreme. 
Sorrow mantles the whole earth. 

B. H. A. F. 

Withhold the chastisement we deserve. 
Forever blessed be Thy sacred name! 

B. H. A. 0. 
The mantle of darkness lifted, and light was. 
Hover o'er us in the storms of life. 

B. H. A. L. 
From end to end of the universe, God reigns. 
The floor of heaven is bestrewn with golden stars. 



Ube Vertical 1ban& 

This hand is used to denote a warding off. The Supine 
generally supports, the Prone represses, the Vertical repels. 



130 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

H. F. 
Out of my sight! 

H. 0. 
Drive back the bold invaders. 

H. L. 
Away with such vile measures. 

H. B. 0. 
Follow not: I'll have no speaking. 

A. F. 

Withhold Thy justice; grant me mercy. 

A. 0. 

Oh, Heaven! forbid such a deed. 

A. L. 

Away, delusive phantom! 

A, B. 0. 
Hence, horrible shadow! 
Unreal mockery, hence! 

B. H. H. F. 
Whence and what art thou, execrable shape? 

B. H. H. 0. 
Far from us be such a thought. 

B. H. H. L. 
Bursts the wild storm of terror and dismay. 

B. H. A. F. 

Avert, O God, the frown of thy indignation! 

B. H. A. 0. 

Angels and ministers of grace, defend us! 
B. H. A. L. 
Melt and dispel ye spectre doubts. 



Planks of Gesture. 131 

Ube fln&ex fmnft 

This form of gesture is used to limit the designating 
gesture. Compare the following examples and the dif- 
ference of use will be more obvious. 

H. 0. P. 
Let us go over the whole ground once more! 

H. F. I. 
Let us dwell on this point in particular. 

I. A, F. 

That point is beyond your reach. 

I. A. 0. 
From j'onder point I have often gazed at the sea. 

I. A. L. 

Do you see the eagle's nest far to our right? 

I. A. B. 0. 
I ask you to glance at that brightest page in our Church's annals. 

I. H. F. 
That point I will prove thus. 

I. H. 0. 
On yonder house they nailed the placard. 

I. H. L. 
In that mount lies a forgotten race. 

I. H. B. 0. 
For proof of this, look to the days of the penal laws of Ireland. 

I. D. F. 

Lie there till the bugle arouses thee. 

I. D. 0. 

Thou creeping serpent, graceful in all thy movements! 



132 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

/. D. L. 

He lay here aside of the road. 

J. D. B. 0. 
You remain behind or you will rue it. 



Ube Clasped 1banD 

This position denotes great emotion, it is used in earnest 
entreaty, supplication, etc. The fingers of the right hand are 
intertwined with those of the left. Ascending and descending 
front gestures may be made with the Clasped Hands. 

A. F. 
For God's sake spare me. 

D. F. 

All is now lost; I await your sentence. 



XTbe Glincbefc 1ban& 

This is used where great emphasis is to be expressed. 
Strong denunciation with threats, desperation, resolution, 
etc., take this mode of expression; e. g., 

We will win the day or perish. 

I'll have my bond. 

With this little hand I will crush his power. 

Practice on these sentences, as was mentioned before, 
taking care to grasp the sentiment, and portray it as if it 
were your own. Mechanical gesture will thus be avoided. 
We insert here also a number of extracts which the student 
is to interpret and portray by appropriate gesture. 



Planes of Gesture. 133 

GENERAL EXAMPLES 
Zhe /HMset anfc plutus 

The wind was high — the window shakes; 

B. H. A. 0. R. H. 0. 

With sudden start the miser wakes! 

B. II. A., till clasp. 
Along the silent room he stalks; 

R. H. F. to R. 0. 
Looks back, and trembles as he walks! 

Look over L. Shoulder. B. H. Cli. & tremor. 
Each lock, and ev'ry bolt he tries, 

L. H. D. 0. R. H. illustrate. 
In ev'ry crack, and corner, pries; 

B. H. F. to 0. 
Then opes his chest, with treasure stor'd, 

B. H. A. F. Supine. 
And stands in rapture o'er his hoard: 

B. H. Cla. 
But now with sudden qualms possest, 

B. H. F. Aversive. 
He wrings his hands; he beats his breast — 

Illustrate illustrate R. H. 

By conscience stung, he wildly stares; 

R. H. on breast, Head looks around fearful. 
And thus his guilty soul declares: 

B. H. on breast. 
Had the deep earth her stores confin'd, 

B. H. D. F. 
This heart had known sweet peace of mind; 

R. H. on heart. 
But virtue's sold! Good gods! what price 

B. H. H. F. B. H. A. F. 
Can recompense the pangs of vice? 

R. H. to forehead. 
O bane of good! seducing cheat! 

B. H. D. F. Prone. 
Can man, weak man, thy power defeat? 

B. H. 0. to L. 



i34 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Gold banisb'd honor from the mind, 

R. H. A. F. to 0. Aversive. 
And only left the name behind; 

R. H. on breast. 
Gold sow'd the world with ev'ry ill; 

B. H. F. to L. 
Gold taught the murd'rer's sword to kill: 

R. H. Cli., D. to. F. 
'Twas gold instructed coward hearts 

R. H. D. O. 
In treaeh'ry's more pernicious arts. 

R. H. B. 0. 
Who can recount the mischiefs o'er? 

B. H. F. to L. 
Virtue resides on earth no more! 

R. H. D. F. (Cotnstock) 

Zbe /lfcain^rucfe; or, H Xeap tor Xife 

Old Ironsides at anchor lay, 
In the harbor of Mahon; 
R. H. pointing O. 
A dead calm rested on the bay, 
Dbl. P. H. F. to L. 
The waves to sleep had gone; 
Last gtsture sustained. 
When little Hal, the captain's son, 

R. II. D. F. to picture height. 
A lad both brave and good, 
Continue picture. 
In sport, up shroud and rigging ran, 
R. H. A. F. 
And on the main-truck stood! 
R. H. A. F. pointing. 
A shudder shot through every vein, 
B. II. Cli. &> tremble. 
All eyes were turned on high! 
B. H. F. to L. Eyes A. F. 
There stood the boy, with dizzy brain, 
R. H. A. F. 
Between the sea and sky; 
Eyes A. F. 



Planes of Gesture. 135 

No hold had he above, below, 

Shake head. Eyes A. F. & D. F. 
Alone he stood in air; 
R. H. A. F. 
To that far height none dared to go; 

R. H. A. F. Shake head R. H. D. F. 
No aid could reach him there. 
Shake head. Eyes A. F. 

We gazed, — but not a man could speak! 

Eyes A. F. B. H. F. to L. Shake head in 
With horror all aghast, 
R. H. A. F. V. 
In groups, with pallid brow and cheek, 
B. H. F. to L. 
We watched the quivering mast. 

R. H. F. shaking to illustrate "quivering. 
The atmosphere grew thick and hot, 
B. H. H. V. 
And of a lurid hue; 
B. II. H. V. 
As riveted unto the spot, 
R. H. D. F. 
Stood officers and crew. 
B. H. F. to. 0. 
The father came on deck, he gasped, 

R. FI. 0. pointing R. H. to throat. 
"O God! Thy will be done!" 
R. H. A. F. 
Then suddenly a rifle grasped, 
R. H. Cli. illustrate. 
And aimed it at his son, 

Illustrate taking aim B. H. A. F. 
"Jump far out, boy, into the wave! 
R. H. D. 0. 
Jump or I fire!" he said; 
B. FI. Cli. & raised to aim. 
"That only chance thy life can save! 
R. H. A. F. 
Jump! jump, boy!" He obeyed. 
B. II. A. F. Cla. 
He sunk, — he rose, — he lived, — he moved, — 
R. H. D. 0. R. H. A. 0. 



136 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

And for the ship struck out; 
R. H. 0. to F. 
On board, we hailed the lad beloved, 
R. H. A. F. waving. 
With many a manly shout. 
Continue last gesture. 
His father drew, in silent joy, 
L. H. 0. pointing. 
Those wet arms round his neck, 
Continue last. 
Then folded to his heart his boy, 
L. H. 0. pointing. 
And fainted on the deck. (George P. Morris.) 
R. H. D. F. 



From 5uliu6 Caesar Actll. 



O conspiracy! 
Shamest thou to show thy dangerous brow by night! 
When evils are most free? O then, by day, 
Where wilt thou find a cavern dark enough 
To mask thy monstrous visage? Seek none, conspiracy; 
Hide it in smiles and affability; 
For if thou put thy native semblance on, 
Not Erebus itself were dim enough 
To hide thee from prevention. (Shakespeare) 



From St. fjerculanus 

Down from far Gothland's icy coasts 

Sweep Totila's resistless hosts, 

He dooms Perugia's walls and towers, 

And girds her round with ruthless powers. (Leo XIII.) 

From Xalla IRoofcb 

"What! while our arms can wield these blades, 
"Shall we die tamely? die alone? 
"Without one victim to our shades, 



Planes of Gesture. 137 

"One Moslem heart, where, buried deep, 

"The sabre from its toil may sleep? 

"No — God of Iran's burning skies! 

"Thou scorn'st th' inglorious sacrifice. 

"No — though of all earth's hope bereft, 

"Life, swords, and vengeance still are left 

"We'll make yon valley's reeking caves 

"Live in the awe-struck minds of men, 

"Till tyrants shudder, when their slaves 

"Tell of the Gheber's bloody glen. 

"Follow, brave hearts! — this pile remains 

"Our refuge still from life and chains; 

"But his the best, the holiest bed, 

"Who sinks entomb'd in Moslem dead!" (Moore) 



From HntonE anfc Cleopatra Act V. 

O Antony! 
Have I followed thee to this? — but we do lance 
Diseases in our body. I must perforce 
Have shown to thee such a declining day, 
Or look on thine; we could not stall together 
In the whole world. But yet let me lament, 
With tears as sovereign as the blood of hearts, 
That thou my brother, my competitor 
In top of all design, my mate in empire, 
Friend and companion in the front of war, 
The arm of mine own body, and the heart 
Where mine his thoughts did kindle, that our stars, 
Unreconcilable should divide 
Our equamess to this. — (Shakespeare) 



From %ove f & prisoner 

Reposing in his altar-home — 

Imprison' d there for love of me — 
My Spouse awaits me; and I come 

To visit Him awhile, and be 
A solace to his loneliness — 

If aught in me can make it less. (Hill) 



138 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

From IRiCbatD MIT. Act I. 

Erroneous vassal! the great King of kings 

Hath in the table of His law commanded, 

That thou shalt do no murder: will you, then, 

Spurn at His edict, and fulfill man's? 

Take heed : for He holds vengeance in His hand, 

To hurl upon their heads that break His law. (Shakespeare) 

From /IIMllE'6 Bipiation 

There are times when all these terrors 

Seem to fade, and fade away, 
Like a nightmare's ghastly presence 

In the truthful dawn of day. 
There are times, too, when before me 

They arise, and seem to hold 
In their *grasp my very being 

With the deadly strength of old, 
Till my spirit quails within me, 

And my very heart grows cold. (A. A. Procter) 

From Zhe {Tempest Act I v. 

These our actors, 
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and 
Are melted into air, into thin air: 
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, 
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, 
The solemn temples, the great globe itself: 
Yea, all which it inherit shall dissolve. (Shakespeare) 

From UeeterDaE 

Gone! and they return no more, 

But they leave a light in the heart: 
The murmur of waves that kiss a shore 

Will never, I know, depart. 
Gone! yet with us still they staj^, 

And their memories throb through life; 
The music that hushes or stirs to-day, 

Is toned by their calmer strife. (Father Ryan) 



Planes of Gesture. 139 

From Gwelftb IRigbt Act I. 

If music be the food of love, play on, 

Give me excess of it; that, surfeiting, 

The appetite may sicken and so die, — 

That strain again; it had a dying fall: 

O, it came o'er my ear like the sweet south, 

That breathes upon a bank of violets, 

Stealing, and giving odor. (Shakespeare) 

From H Voice from Hf ar 

A sea before 
The throne is spread: its pure still glass 
Pictures all earth-scenes as they pass; 

We on its shore 
Share, in the bosom of our rest, 
God's knowledge, and are bless'd. {Newman) 

From Zxoo Gentlemen of Werona Act V. 

Who by repentance is not satisfied, 

Is not of heaven nor earth. (Shakespeare) 

From XZhe Sister of Cbarit£ 

Her down-bed, a pallet — her trinkets, a bead, 

Her lustre — one taper, that serves her to read: 

Her sculpture — the crucifix nailed by her bed; 

Her paintings — one print of the thorn-crowned head; 

Her cushion — the pavement that wearies her knees; 

Her music — the psalm, of the sigh of disease: 

The delicate lady lives mortified there, 

And the feast is forsaken for fasting and prayer. (G. Griffin) 

From Winter's Gale Act ill. 

But, O thou tyrant! 
Do not repent these things; for they are heavier 
Than all thy woes can stir: therefore betake thee, 
To nothing but despair. A thousand knees 



140 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Ten thousand years together, naked, fasting, 

Upon a barren mountain, and still winter 

In storm perpetual, could not move the gods 

To look that way thou wert. (Shakespeare) 

From TLhe WiVCV 

Soon one of these monsters approached me, and plied 

His hundred feelers to drag 
Me down through the darkness: when, springing aside, 

I abandoned my hold of the coral crag, 
And the maelstrom grasped me with arms of strength, 

And upwhirled and upbore me to daylight at length. 

(/. C. Mangan) 

From Iking Xear Act III. 

Blow, wind, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow! 

You cataracts and hurricanoes spout 

Till you have drench'd our steeples, drowned the cocks! 

You sulphurous and thought-executing fires, 

Vaunt couriers to oak-cleaving thunderbolts, 

Singe my white head! And thou, all-shaking thunder, 

Strike flat the thick rotundity o' the world! 

Rumble thy bellyful! Spit, fire! spout, rain! 

Nor rain, wind, thunder, fire, are my daughters: 

I tax you not, you elements with unkindness, 

I never gave you kingdom, call'd you children, 

You owe me no subscription: why then, let fall 

Your horrible pleasure: here I stand, your slave, 

A poor, infirm, weak, and despis'd old man: — 

But yet I call you servile ministers, 

That have with two pernicious daughters join'd 

Your high-engender' d battles 'gainst a head 

So old and white as this, O! O! 'tis foul! [Shakespeare) 

From Stella /Ifoatutma 

Cerulean Ocean, fringed with white, 
That wear'st her colors evermore, 



Planes of Gesture. 141 

In all thy pureness, all thy might, 

Resound her name from shore to shore. 

That fringe of foam, when drops the sun 
To-night, a sanguine stain shall wear: — 

Thus Mary's heart had strength, alone, 

The passion of her Lord to share (Aubrey De Vere) 

From ITrelanfc'e \t)ovv 

List! scarce a sound can be heard in our thorough-fares — 

Look! scarce a ship can be seen on our streams; 
Heart-crushed and desolate, spell-bound, irresolute, 

Ireland but lives in the bygone of dreams! 
Irishmen! if we be true to our promises, 

Nerving our souls for more fortunate hours, 
Life's choicest blessings, love's fond caressings, 

Peace, home and happiness, all shall be ours! 

(D. F. M'Carthy) 

From Gimon Of 2Htbetl6 Act V. 

Come not to me again: but say to Athens, 

Timon hath made his everlasting mansion 

Upon the beached verge of the salt flood; 

Which once a day with his embossed froth 

The turbulent surge shall cover; thither come. 

And let my grave-stone be your oracle. (Shakespeare^) 

From Gbe penitent IRaven 

The Raven's nest is built with reeds, 

Sing woe, and alas is me! 
And the Raven's couch is spread with weeds, 

High on the hollow tree; 
And the Raven himself, telling his beads 
In penance for his past misdeeds, 

Upon the top I see. 
Telling his beads from night to morn, — 

Sing alas! and woe is me! 
In penance for stealing the Abbot's corn. 

High on the hollow tree. 



142 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Sin is a load upon the breast, 

And it nightly breaks the Raven's rest, 

High on the hollow tree. (T. D. M'Gee) 



From Zitus Hnfcromcus Act III. 

Hear me, grave fathers! noble tribunes, stay 

For pity of mine age, whose youth was spent 

In dangerous wars, whilst you securely slept; 

For all my blood in Rome's great quarrel shed; 

For all the frosty nights that T have watch'd; 

And for these bitter tears, which now you see 

Filling the aged wrinkles in my cheeks; 

Be pitiful to my condemned sons. {Shakespeare) 

From Groilus anO Cres6iDa Act III. 

Honour travels in a strait so narrow, 
Where one but goes abreast: keep, then, the path; 
For emulation hath a thousand sons, 
That one by one pursue: if you give way, 
Or edge aside from the direct forthright, 
Like to an enter'd tide, they all rush by, 
And leave you hindmost. (Shakespeare) 

From TLhe HMoOen (Sent 

Farewell, sycophant! farewell, indeed? 

No, not yet, — 

There shall be moaning over death in this house, before I go to en- 
counter it. After this cruel doom, who will blame me, if I seek to 
escape it? Yet here again comes the question — who is doing this? 
Proculus. Then ought not my vengeance to fall on him? Warily, 
calmly — let us weigh this. 

If Proculus dies — Busebius would be worse. Now, if Euphemian 
dies, it is very different. We know that by his will he has released 
all his slaves. So let him die and I am free. 

But is this generous? or honorable? tut, tut; who has ever been 
generous, or honorable with me? and am I to begin virtues first? Out 
upon it— no! 



Planes of Gesture. 143 

Yet the thing must be done cautiously, securely. It is an ugly 
thing, is killing, even in revenge. One must throw a veil over it — 
make it appear like an accident, even to one's self. Ha! happy com- 
bination — I know how at once to procure the necessary means, and 
then — the pilgrim who is going to sleep there — Capital! What more 
likely? He has some design, no doubt — and he will be the only person 
near. A train can be easily laid to bring it home to him. — Bravo, 
Bibulus, thou art a clever hand at mischief. — By one blow thou shalt 
gain liberty, security and revenge! {Cardinal Wiseman) 

From Goriolanus Act V. 

Measureless liar, thou hast made my heart 

Too great for what contains it. Boy! O slave! — 

% ■¥ % % 

Cut me to pieces Volsces: Men and lads, 

Stain all your edges on me. Boy! False hound! 

If you have writ your annals true, 'tis there, 

That like an eagle in a dove-cote, I 

Flutter'd your Volscians in Corioli: 

Alone I did it. — Boy! (Shakespeare) 

From Gbe Beatb ot ©ur XaDg 

Weep, living things! the mother dies; 

The world doth lose the sum of all her bliss, 
The queen of earth, the empress of the skies; 

By Mary's death mankind an orphan is, 
Let nature weep, yea, let all graces moan; 
Their glory, grace, and gifts die all in one. (Southwell) 

From Zhc /Ifoercbant of Venice Act I. 

Signior Antonio, many a time and oft, 
On the Rialto you have rated me 
About my money and my usances: 
Still have 1 borne it with a patient shrug; 
For sufferance is the badge of all our tribe; 
You call'd me — misbeliever, cut- throat, dog, 
And spit upon my Jewish gaberdine, 
And all for use of that which is my own. 



144 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Well then, it now appears, you need my help: 

Go to then; you come to me, and you say, 

"Shylock, we would have moneys;" you say so; 

You, that did void your rheum upon my beard. 

And foot me as you spurn a stranger cur 

Over your threshold; moneys is your suit; 

What should I say to you! should I not say: 

"Hath a dog money? is it possible 

A cur can lend three thousand ducats?" or 

vShall I bend low, and in a bondman's key, 

With 'bated breath, and whispering humbleness, 

Say this: — 

"Fair sir, you spit on me on Wednesday last; 

You spurned me such a day; another time 

You call'd me — dog: and for those courtesies 

['11 lend you thus much moneys?" {Shakespeare) 

From Qn 1bope 

Dear Hope! earth's dowry and heaven's debt 
The entity of things that are not yet: 

Fair cloud of fire! both shade and light, 

Our life in death, our day in night: 
Fates cannot find out a capacity 
Of hurting thee. (Crashazv) 

From !\ /lIM&aummer IKUgbt's Dream Act IV. 

I was with Hercules and Cadmus once, 

When in a wood of Crete they bay'd the bear 

With hounds of Sparta: never did I hear 

Such gallant chiding: for, besides the groves, 

The skies, the fountains, every region near 

Seem'd all one mutual cry: 1 never heard 

So musical a discord, such sweet thunder. (Shakespeare) 

From On jflMlton 

Three poets, in three distant ages born, 
Greece, Italy, and England did adorn. 
The first in loftiness of thought surpassed; 



Planes of Gesture. 145 

The next in majesty; in both the last. 

The force of Nature could no further go; 

To make a third, she joined the other two. {Dry den) 



From /Bbucb H&o about 1KlOtbtn0 Act V. 

The wolves have prey'd; and look, the gentle day, 

Before the wheels of Phoebus, round about 

Dapples the drowsy east with spots of gray. {Shakespeare) 

From j£60aE on Criticism 

Still green with bays each ancient altar stands 

Above the reach of sacrilegious hands; 

Secure from flames, from envy's fiercer rage, 

Destructive war, and all involving age. 

See from each clime the learned their incense, bring! 

Hear in all tongues consenting paeans ring ! 

In praise so just let ever} 7 voice be joined, 

And fill the general chorus of mankind. 

Hail, bards triumphant! born in happier days, 

Immortal heir of universal praise! {Pope) 

From Naming of tbe Sbrew Act IV. 

For 'tis the mind that makes the body rich; 

And as the sun breaks through the darkest clouds, 

So honour peereth in the meanest habit. 

What! is the jay more precious than the lark, 

Because his feathers are more beautiful? 

Or is the adder better than the eel, 

Because his painted skin contents the eyes? 

O, no, good Kate: neither art thou the worse 

For this poor furniture and mean array. {Shakespeare) 

From H JSallaD of HecanDer^JSeg 

4 'St. Michael stands upon my right, 

Therefore I have no fear; 
When he shall cease his holy fight 

My end will then be near." 



146 Elements of Expression, Vocal. and Physical. 

Thus spake the brave George Castriot 
Albania's Christian knight, 
Who once with Moslems cast his lot, 
(With those who love our Jesus not.) 
They called him by another name — 

The hateful Moslem crew! — 
Iscander-Beg! They knew his fame, 

And deep that fame they rue. 
To-day, beside the Golden Horn, 
Full many a Moslem dame 
Most sore affrights her latest born 
With that bright name that Christians mourn. 

(M. F. Egan) 

From IWVs XlXHell £bat Bnfcs mell 

Be thou blest, Bertram! and succeed thy father 

In manners, as in shape! thy blood and virtue, 

Contend for empire in thee; and thy goodness 

Share with thy birth-right! (Shakespeare) 

From Gbe banner of tbe 1bol£ afamilE 

To arms! to arms! for God our King! 
Hark how the sounds of battle ring! 
Unfold the Banner! Raise it high, 
Dear omen of our victory! 
We come, our hands and hearts we bring; 
We come, and Sion's song we sing 

Unto the Holy Family! {Father Faber) 

From J\6 i?OU Xifce 1ft Act II. 

All the world's a stage, 
And all the men and women merely players; 
They have their exits and their entrances; 
And one man in his time plays many parts, 
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant, 
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms; 
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel, 
And shining morning face, creeping like snail 



Planes of Gesture. 147 

Unwillingly to school: and then, the lover, 

Sighing like furnace, with a woful ballad 

Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier, 

Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard, 

Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel, 

Seeking the bubble reputation 

Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice; 

In fair round belly, with good capon lined, 

With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut, 

Full of wise saws and modern instances; 

And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts 

Into the lean and slippered pantaloon: 

With spectacles on nose, and pouch on side, 

His youthful hose well sav'd, a world too wide 

For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice, 

Turning again towards childish treble, pipes 

And whistles in his sound: Last scene of all. 

That ends this strange eventful history, 

is second childishness, and mere oblivion: 

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. 

(Shakespeare) 

From IRacbel in tbe IRortb 

Out on the cruel field he lies, dear God! 

Whom three nights gone I pillowed safe and warm, 

Thinking the down scarce soft enough, — the sod, 

Alas! the bloody sod now beds his form. 

I watch — I wait. I had such hopes and schemes 

Of what mighc be if he were home once more. 

Fame! glory! perish — empty, hollow dreams! 

My dory's dead. And this, O heaven, is war! 

^Eleanor C. Donnelly) 

From Gbe Corned of lErtors Act V. 

Though now this grained face of mine be hid 
In sap-consuming winter's drizzled snow, 
And all the conduits of my blood froze up; 
Yet hath night of life some memory, 
My dull deaf ears a little use to hear: 
My wasting lamp some fading glimmer left, 



148 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

All these old witnesses (I cannot err) 
Tell me, thou art my son Antipholus. (Shakespeare) 



From Campion Act I. 

Campion. Why did I hide? What was that of mine? 
If Truth must walk erect, Oh! then, my lords, 
Be not so cruel; and straightway destroy 
The bloody edicts that affright her so. 
But once set free the holy word of God; 
Throw wide these gates, and I will hasten forth 
Through all the streets by which I hither came, 
In sight of all who sit in darkness there, 
I'll hold erect my head — unfold my heart, 
Which pants to blazon forth the truth of Rome. 
Nay, more, bid come the champions of your Church, 
Free from all wrath, like truly Christian men, 
To hold dispute within the sight of all; 
And let Her Royal Grace herself preside. 
Then she, my lords, and you, and all the court 
Shall know if what I preach do shun the light. {Morgan) 

From jflfteaeure for /Ifceasure Actli. 

That in the captain's but a choleric word, 

Which in the soldier is flat blasphemy. (Shakespeare) 

From Major Jobn 2Hnfcre Act II. 

Arnold. Benedict Arnold, thou art a traitor! Thou hast sold tlry 
honor, the blood and freedom of th}^ countrymen for a handful of gold! 
Great Heavens! has it come to this? Did I imagine when I first be- 
gan my profligate life that it would end in treachery? Arnold the 
Traitor! What a name? And shall mine go down to posterity so? 
Traitor branded on my forehead! — Could my gallant father see me 
now, what would he say? Methinks his bones are restless in the 
cold grave to think his son, his once darling boy, has become the 
cruel betrayer of his people! Arnold the Traitor! So the child, 
yet unborn, will read in his country's history. Generations yet to 
come will learn my name but to curse it as the cause of the chains 
which shackle their freedom. Arnold the Traitor! Is it for this thou 



Planes of Gesture. 149 

didst fight and bleed so long? Is it for this, thou for five long years 
didst lead thy countrymen, and see them die with a smile upon their 
lips, because it was for liberty? Is it for this thou didst cross the 
country, enter Canada, brave the once hated British, — mock at its 
northern cold ! Ah ! how my soldiers, ill-clothed and starving as they 
were, would greet my hopeful glance! How they once cheered for 
Benedict Arnold! Now they will curse me, execrate the memory of 
their country's betrayer! But hold! the crime is not yet consummated; 
I have still time to retrace my steps — Andre is yet here. I will go to 
him, cast the money at his feet, regain my papers and my honor! Yet 
how can I recall my plighted word! How pay my debts, how continue 
my profligate life, without English money? No! I cannot relinquish 
my mode of life! Have I not been disgraced by Congress? Have 
not others been preferred before me? Actuated by jealousy and secret 
hatred, my superiors in office, a few months ago, removed me from my 
comfortable quarters in Philadelphia, and put me on these hills. Yes, 
my actions, my deeds of valor, my genius, have been undervalued. 
I have suffered insults from the very persons my victories raised to 
power! Money and Revenge! Let others curse me, let future gen- 
erations spit upon my memor}', I will have money! I can not change 
my manner of living. They may brand my reward as the price of 
blood, of liberty; I call it the means of pleasure. Arnold thou must 
go on; to retreat now would be the action of a coward! Money and 
Revenge! {Bishop Haid) 

From ©tbellO Act II. 

Othello. O, that the slave had forty thousand lives! 
One is too poor, too weak for my revenge. 
Now do I see 'tis true. — Look here Iago; 
All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven: 'tis gone. — 
Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow cell! 
Yield up, O Love! thy crown and hearted throne, 
To tyrannous hate! swell, bosom, with thy fraught, 
For 'tis of aspics' tongues! (Shakespeare) 

From Zbc /foaleDiction Act II. 

My father has cursed me, and his curse has penetrated the marrow 
of my bones. Where is my father? He has not yet been put to 
death? What do you wish, Tarik? I was the son of Gomez, but thou 
call'st me Almanzor. I am king of Murcia! Let the people offer 



150 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

me homage. Prostrate at my feet, I wish to behold them from the 
summit of my throne. What have I said, Lopez? Ha, ha, ha! Have 
you seen Pelagius? I will bathe myself in his vile blood; I will 
plunge my hand into the depths of his entrails; I will crush his hoary 
head. How beautiful are the heavens! Mahomet alone is great! 
Why, then, Abdallah, did you not efface these crosses from the walls? 
I was also a Christian ! Wh}^ does this awful cross arise before my eyes? 
I see — I see the Immaculate Virgin trampling the crescent beneath 
her feet — and now! oh, hence! awful vision; hence! Ah Lopez, do you 
see the hand that threatens me? 

You, also, does it menace. Come! away! Let us flee. — O God! 
upon the air, upon the walls, upon my heart is written, "Cursed! 
.cursed! cursed!" (Lyons) 

From Iking IRtcbarD Iff. Act III. 

Am I not king? 
Awake, thou sluggard majesty! thou sleep'st, 
Is not the king's name, forty thousand names? 
Arm, arm, my name! — A puny subject strikes 
At thy great glory. Look not to the ground, 
Ye favourites of a king: are we not high? 
High be our thoughts. (Shakespeare) 

From Iking 1benr£ WfflT. Act III. 

Wolsey. Cromwell, I did not think to shed a tear 
In all my miseries; but thou hast forc'd me 
Out of thy honest truth to play the woman. 
Let's dry our eyes; and thus far hear me, Cromwell: 
And, — when I am forgotten, as I shall be, 
And sleep in dull cold marble, where no mention 
Of me more must be heard of, say I taught thee. 
Say, Wolsey, that once trod the ways of glory, 
And sounded all the depths and shoals of honor, — 
Found thee a way, out of his wreck, to rise in; 
A sure and safe one, though thy master miss'd it. 
Mark but my fall, and that that ruin'd me. 
Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition; 
By that sin fell the angels; how can man then, 
The image of his Maker, hope to win by 't? 
Love thyself last; cherish those hearts that hate thee. 



Planes of Gesture. 151 

Corruption wins not more than honesty. 

Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace, 

To silence envious tongues. Be just and fear not: 

Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's, 

Thy God's, and truth's; then, if thou fall'st, O Cromwell, 

Thou fall'st a blessed martyr. Serve thy king; 

And, — pr'ythee, lead me in; 

There take an inventory of all 1 have, 

To the last penny: 'tis the king's: my robe, 

And my integrity in Heaven, is all 

I dare now call mine own. O Cromwell, Cromwell, 

Had I but serv'd my God with half the zeal 

I serv'd my king, he would not in mine age 

Have left me naked to mine enemies. {Shakespeare) 



CHAPTER XI. 



j£mpba6i0 

SECTION I. 

Any sentence includes one or more important words. 
These vital words of the sentence, these words containing 
the thought, for the expression of which the sentence has 
been formed, are termed emphatic, and Emphasis is the agent 
that confers on them their due degree of prominence. 

Emphasis, however, is not an element of expression 
but is the application of any vocal element to particular words 
or clauses. From this it is manifest that Emphasis employs 
no uniform method. 

Some aver that the most significant words must always 

receive special force, or energy of voice — thereby confining 

emphasis to a monotonous mode, and making it and stress 

identical. True, emphasis, in a large measure, is to words, 

what accent is to syllables; but unlike accent, it does not 

depend wholly on stress for the execution of commands, 

but can, with equal right, call upon any vocal element and 

be promptly obeyed. In short, Emphasis is the sovereign 

of all elocutionary elements, and they may all exclaim, 

Your Highness' part 
Is to receive our duties: and our duties 
Are to your throne and state, children and servants, 
Which do but what they should by doing everything 
Safe toward your love and honor. (Shakespeare) 

Hence, whoever has command of emphasis has master dom of 

elocution. 



Emphasis. 153 

That we may be able to give just emphasis, we must pos- 
sess a clear conception of whatever we try to interpret. 
This is proven by the fact that in unconstrained conver- 
sation, anyone emphasizes correctly, because he under- 
stands clearly what he wishes to say. 

Emphasis and Sense are mutually dependent. 

To illustrate this principle, let us apply it to the sentence, 
My teacher is very kind. 
This sentence contains only five words and yet is suscep- 
tible of five various senses. 

If several boys, from divers schools, should engage in 
conversation concerning their respective teachers, each 
one would say, "my" his teacher. If an inquisitive passerby 
should catch the last words only, his curiosity would be 
kindled, and, stopping, he would ask "who" was so very 
kindf Whereupon the bravest and frankest of the group 
answers, "my teacher." The answer adds fuel to the 
stranger's curiosity, and he immediately asks the name of 
the teacher. Being informed it is Mr. Birch, he says with 
an incredulous air, to the intense satisfaction of the young 
spokesman's tittering companions, "He must have changed 
a great deal." 

The just anger 'of the boy is aroused, and he repeats 
with increased emphasis, "Well he is very kind." The 
memory of the questioner now carries him back to former 
days, when this same kind teacher checked his curiosity 
with the birch of justice, and he responds abstractedly, 
"He gave punishments enough in his younger days, and 
often 'swayed the rod of empire over' — any way a little 
kindness will not harm him or his pupils seriously." 

The boy, strong in the good cause he is defending, un- 
willing to grant aught that may detract from a teacher 
whose even kindness has endeared him to all, repeats with 
greater force, "My teacher is very kind." The stranger, 
anxious to leave, for a crowd is gathering, desires to con- 



154 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

found the boy by a heavy retort, and says, "Owing to 
his advanced age, perhaps, he is becoming negligent, and 
possibly lenient. But, my young man, there is a vast 
difference between kindness and lenity. Lenity, you 
know," — 

"All I know," the boy's ardor interrupts, "is that my 
teacher is very kind." 

The stranger's curiosity seems satisfied; he departs, 
and the young hero is champion of the field. The 
weapon he used was just emphasis. Each change of emphasis 
in the above sentence, effected a like change of meaning; 
proving that Emphasis and Sense are mutually dependent. 

Let us now examine the sentence, 

Love is stronger than the grave; Jealousy, more cruel. 

As it stands, love, stronger, grave, jealousy, and cruel, would 
receive the emphasis. But if some misanthrope should 
deny the first part of your statement, you would immediately 
display the firmness of your conviction in what you said 
by affirming, "Love is stronger than the grave." If 
some one asked you to point out briefly wherein love differed 
from jealousy, you would say, 



Love is stronger than the grave; Jealousy, more cruel. 
Analyze the following sentence similarly. — 
That man deserves lasting renown. 

What will the meaning be if you place the chief emphasis 
on man, on that, on renown? What word would you 
emphasize and how, to indicate that your hero merits last- 
ing fame, although it will scarcely be accorded him? 

Similar sentences should be given by the teacher in order 
to accustom the student to "emphatic" analysis. 

The following rules are offered to assist the student 
in finding the emphatic words. While no infallible rules 
can be given, correct emphasis being the product of good 



Emphasis. 155 

brain-work, yet, the rules here presented will be found 
welcome and able aids. 

1. Words containing the leading ideas must receive capital 
emphasis; whereas, those expressing matter comparatively 
unimportant should be subordinated. 

EXAMPLE 

I have done my duty; I stand acquitted to my conscience and my 
country ; I have opposed this measure throughout ; and now I protest 
against it as harsh, oppressive, uncalled-for , unjust ; as establishing 
an infamous precedent, by retaliating! crime against crime; as 
tyrannous, cruelly and vindictively tyrannous. (O'Connel) 

2. The Chief emphasis is conferred on the words which 
finish the new picture or idea. 

EXAMPLES 

The beautiful world hath its mountains and plains. 

(M. S. Whitaker) 

By the soft blue waters of Lake Lucerne stands the Chapel of 
William Tell. (T. F. Meagher) 

j. Words expressing or implying contrast .deserve emphasis. 

EXAMPLES 

He raised a mortal to the skies; 

She drew an angel down. {Dry den) 

It was midnight when I listened, 

And I heard two voices speak; 
One was harsh, and stern, and cruel, 

And the other , soft and weak . {Adelaide A. Procter) 

To _err is human ; to forgive, divine. {Pope) 

Fear carries us out of ourselves, shame confines us within the round 

of our own thoughts. {Newman) 

I said an elder soldier, not a better. (Shakespeare) 



156 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

From Creator ano Creature 

Look how the splendors of the Divine Nature gleam far and wide, 
nay infinitely, while the trumpets of heaven blow, and the loud acclaims 
of the untiring creatures greet with jubilant amazement the Living 
Vision! See how Eternity and Immensity entwine their arms in 
inexplicable embrace, the one filling all space, the other outliving 
all time; the one without quantity or limit, the other without begin- 
ning, end, or duration. Behold the understanding and the will, the 
one forever lighting up with such meridian glory the profound abysses 
of God's uncircumscribed Truth and illimitable Wisdom; the other 
enfolding forever in its unconsuming fires the incomprehensible life 
of God, His infinite oceanlike expanse of being, and every creature 
of the countless worlds that from His life draw their own. 

{Father Faber) 

Get wealth and place, if possible with grace, 

If not, by any means get wealth and place. {Pope) 

The contrast in the above couplet is implied. The 
poet desires us to secure wealth, and a good position in 
society, if possible, honestly, so that we may not forfeit 
grace; but, if we find it impossible to gain wealth and honor 
by fair means, we should, according to the poet, make use 
of any means to attain our purpose. 

4. Words essential to the idea which the sentence tries to 
convey, are emphatic when first introduced; but occurring after- 
ward, are unemphatic because they have already made the 
intended impression on the mind. 

EXAMPLE 

From a Munster vale they brought her 

From the pure and balmy air, 

An Ormand peasant's daughter 

With blue eyes and golden hair. 

They brought her to the city, 

And she faded slowly there; 

Consumption has no pity 

For blue eyes and golden hair. [R. D. Williams) 

Exception to No. 4. Words repeated to deepen the effect 
on the mind are rendered with increased emphasis. 



Emphasis. 157 

EXAMPLE vS 

By foreign hands thy d} r ing eyes were closed, 
By foreign hands thy decent limbs composed, 
By foreign hands thy humble grave adorn' d 
By strangers honoured and by strangers mourn'd! {Pope) 

Happy, happy, happy pair! 

None but the brave, 

None but the brave, 
None but the brave deserve the fair. 

5. The indispensable words of sentences are always 
emphatic; words which can be omitted without destroying 
the clearness^ are unemphatic. 

ILLUSTRATION 

But here I am to speak what I do know. {Shakespeare) 

We might omit "but," "I am," and "do," from this 
sentence, and still be able to gather from the context the 
meaning. It would read: "Here to speak what I know." 
You will observe it is not classic English, but still the sense 
is not impaired. Hence, the words that may be omitted 
are unemphatic. 

An exception to the foregoing occurs when such words as 
"nevertheless," "at all," "whatever," "notwithstanding," 
etc., are found in a sentence, as they are especially intro- 
duced for emphasis. 

I have kept nothing whatever. 

"Nothing," in this sentence, is plainly the most import- 
ant word, for we may say, ' ' I have kept nothing, ' ' and the 
meaning will not suffer: yet, "whatever" receives the 
chief emphasis. Such words are called " oratorical words" 
and largely resemble combinations like Declaration of 
Independence, Grand Army of the Republic, Catholic 
Knights of America, Fellow of the Royal Society of Anti- 
quaries, etc. 



158 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

EXAMPLE 

The Grand Army of the Republic embraces a body of heroes whose 
names and deeds are inscribed on Liberty's palm. 

We must treat the underlined words as a word of nine 
syllables, giving equal weight to "Grand," "Army," "Re- 
public," passing gently over the other syllables as we do 
over unaccented syllables in other words. 

But after we have discovered the emphatic words, 
the question arises, how shall we deliver them in order to 
give them the prominence they deserve? 

We must pronounce them in accordance with the sentiment 
they express. 



SECTION II. 

/IDo&es of JEmpbasis 

Time, i. e., dwelling somewhat longer on certain words, 
is used as a mode of emphasis to express tender feeling, 
sublimity, solemnity, admiration, etc. It can only be used 
with words possessing long quantity. 

EXAMPLES 

From Iking Ibenrg ID! if. Act in. 

So farewell to the little good you bear me. 
Farewell, a long farewell to all my greatness, 
This is the state of man; to-day he puts forth 
The tender leaves of hope, to-morrow blossoms, 
And bears his blushing honors thick upon him; 

O, how wretched 
Is that poor man that hangs on princes' favors! 

{Shakespeare) 



Emphasis. 159 

From Elegiac Star^as 

Oh, let not tears embalm my tomb, — 
None but the dews at twilight given! 
Oh, let not sighs disturb the gloom, — 
None but the whispering winds of heaven! 

{Moore) 

From Iking 5obn Act III. 

Constance. Father Cardinal, I have heard you say, 
That we shall see and know our friends in heaven; 
If that be true, I shall see my boy again; 
For, since the birth of Cain, the first male child, 
To him that did but }^esterday breathe, 
There was not such a gracious creature born. 
But now will canker sorrow eat my bud, 
And change the native beauty from his cheek, 
And he will look as hollow as a ghost ; 



And so he'll die, and, rising so again 

I shall not know him; therefore, never, never, 

Must I behold my pretty Arthur more. (Shakespeare) 

From HDventurea of Gelemacbus Book xiv. 

Telemachus had long been disturbed in the night by dreams in 
which he saw his father Ulysses. The vision never failed to return 
at the end of the night, just before the approach of the Aurora, with 
her prevailing fires, to chase from heaven the doubtful radiance of the 
stars, and from the earth the pleasing delusion of sleep .... From these 
pleasing dreams Telemachus always awoke dejected and sorrowful . 
While one of them ,was recent upon his mind -he cried out: "O 
my father ! O my dear father Ulysses ! the most frightful dreams would 
be more welcome to me than these. Those representations of felicity 
convince me that thou art already descended to the abodes of those 
happy spirits whom the gods reward for their virtue with everlasting 
rest. I think I behold the fields of Elysium! Must I then, O my father, 
see thee no more forever? How dreadful is the loss of hope ! (Fenelon) 

Force is used with the sterner emotions and in the ex- 
pression of impassioned thought. 



160 Elements of Expression, Vocai, and Physical. 

The following examples offer opportunity for emphasis 
by Time and Force. Let the student indicate the emphatic 
words and the means of emphasis. 

EXAMPLES 
From Gbrenooia Hugustalts 

Calm was his life and quiet was his death. 

Soft as those gentle whispers were 

In which the Almighty did appear; 

By the still voice the prophet knew him there, 

That peace which made thy prosperous reign to shine, 

That peace thou leavest to thy imperial line, 

That peace, oh happy shade, be ever thine! {Dry den) 

From IRature Superior to Science 

In all physical science we can only be the servants and disciples 
of nature. She must be the absolute mistress, and she will not yield 
one tittle of power to us. By submission alone to those laws, which 
she herself has taught us, can we overcome her. Let me now, in order 
to put this view more strikingly before you, imagine a conversation, 
such as has often, I dare say, taken place, especially at the commence- 
ment of steam locomotion, in almost every part of the world. We 
will suppose a person, by' way of introducing the conversation, saying 
of the steam engine: "What a wonderful invention; how marvelous: 
to what a pitch has science been brought; how completely has she 
mastered nature and her laws! We have destroyed space, we have 
cheated time, we have invented a piece of mechanism which we have 
endowed with almost vital power, to which we have given all but 
intelligence; and how proudly it goes on its way! 

"Hold!" says one who has been listening to this boastful speech; 
"hold! look on yon cloud; it is heavy with thunder. See those flashes, 
which already break through it — those bright lances, each tipped 
with fire, destructive beyond all the power of man; see their direction 
towards us! Suppose that by a law of nature, which you have not 
repealed, one of those strike, and make a wreck of that proud monster . . 

"Nay," says a third; "I will not consent to a trial like that. . . . 
It is not thus, in a vengeful form, that I will put into contrast that 
great production of man's ingenuity and the power of nature. No; 



Emphasis. 161 

I will take the most harmless, the most gentle, the most tender thing 
in her, and I will put that against the other. 

What is softer, more beautiful, and more innocent than the dew- 
» drop, which does not even discolor the leaf upon which it lies at morn- 
ing; what more graceful, when, multiplied it makes its chalice of the 
rose, adds sweetness to its fragrance, and jewels to its enamel?. . . . 
Expose the steam-engine but to the action of this little and insig- 
nificant agent and the metal, although you made a compact with it 
that it should be bright and polished, cares more for the refreshment 
from those drops of dew than it does for you, and it absorbs them wil- 
lingly. . . .Every polished rod, so beautiful and fair, is blotched and 
gangrened. A few drops from heaven have conquered the proudest 
work of man's ingenuity and skill. {Cardinal Wiseman) 

Inflexion is one of the most valuable servants of emphasis ; 
the rules laid down elsewhere govern its use. 

Pause, or Phrasing, as a mode of emphasis, is reserved 
for a separate chapter. 

Let the student apply the preceding rules to the examples 
here given. 

EXAMPLES 

From Coriolanus Act III. 

You common cry of curs! whose breath I hate 

As reek o' the rotten fens, whose loves I prize 

As the dead carcasses of unburied men 

That do corrupt my air, I banish you; 

And here remain with your uncertainty! 

Let every feeble rumour shake your hearts! 

Your enemies, with nodding of their plumes, 

Fan you into despair! Have the power still 

To banish your defenders; till, at length, 

Your ignorance (which finds not till it feels), 

Making do reservation of yourselves 

(Still your own foes), deliver you, as most 

Abated captives, to some nation 

That won you without blows. Despising 

For you, the city, thus I turn my back; 

There is a world elsewhere. (Shakespeare) 



1 62 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

From jflfcores Gatbolici 

The middle ages were the ages of the highest grace to men — ages 
of faith — ages when all Europe was Catholic: when vast temples 
were seen to rise in every place of human concourse, to give glory- 
to God, and to exalt men's souls to sanctity; when houses of holy peace 
and order were found amidst woods and desolate mountains — on the 
banks of placid lakes, as well as on solitary rocks in the ocean; 
ages of sanctity which witnessed a Bede, an Alcuin, a Bernard, a 
Francis, and crowds who followed them as they did Christ; ages of 
vast and beneficent intelligence, in which it pleased the Holy Spirit to 
display the power of the seven gifts in the lives of an Anselm, a Thomas 
of Aquinum, and the saintly flocks whose steps a cloister guarded; 
ages of the highest civil virtue, which gave birth to the laws and in- 
stitutions of an Edward, a Lewis, a Suger; ages of the noblest art, 
which beheld a Giotto, a Michael Angelo, a Raffaele, a Domenichino; 
ages of poetry, which heard an Avitus, a Caedmon, a Dante, a Shake- 
speare, a Calderon; ages of more than mortal heroism, which produced 
a Tancred and a Godfrey; ages of majesty, which knew a Charlemagne, 
an Alfred, and the sainted youth who bore the lily; ages, too, of Eng- 
land's glory, when she appears, not even excluding a comparison 
with the Eastern empire, as the most truly civilized country on the 
globe; when the sovereign of the greater portion of the Western 
world applied to her schools for instructors — when she sends forth 
her saints to evangelize the nations of the world, and to diffuse spir- 
itual treasure over the whole world — when heroes flock to her court 
to behold the models of reproachless chivalry, and emperors leave 
their thrones to adore at the tombs of her martyrs! (K. H. Dighy) 

From XLbc JEiile's IReturn 

The friends whom I loved and cherished have passed away; ay! 
every soul. The warm hearts and loving eyes that cheered my boy- 
hood are gone, — the living friends are lost to sight, and I miss their 
enlivening presence, oh! how much! — but the inanimate friends — the 
old familiar scenes remain. I have taken up my abode in the very 
house of my nativity — ruined it is, and desolate, yet it is the shell 
which contained the kernel of my affections. The fields are as green, 
the sky as changeful, the mountains as grand, the sacred valley as 
lonesome and solemn, and, above all, the faith and piety of the people 
is still the same, simple, earnest, nothing doubting, all-performing. 
Where I herded my goats, a peasant boy, I muse, an old and wrinkled 
man, on the path of life I have trodden. I stand at the opposite 



Emphasis. 163 

end of existence, and ask myself what is the difference. I have had 
since what is called "position," I have wealth still — ay! a fortune, 
but what of that — I am old, friendless, childless, and alone, burdened 
with harrowing recollections, and ready to sink into the grave, un- 
honored and unknown. (Mrs. Sadlier) 

From Ibtstor^ of TRome 

Coriolanus no sooner beheld Veturia attired in mourning, her 
e}~es bathed in tears, and with a countenance and motion that spoke 
her sinking under a load of sorrow, than he ran hastily to her; and not 
only calling her mother, but adding to that word the most tender 
epithets, embraced her, wept over her, and held her in his arms to 
prevent her falling. . . .When some time had been allowed to those 
silent tears of joy, which often flow plenteously at the sudden and 
unexpected meeting of persons dear to each other, Veturia entered 
upon the business she had undertaken. After many forcible ap- 
peals to his understanding and patriotism, she exclaimed: "What 
frenzy, what madness of anger transports my son ! Heaven is appeased 
by supplications, vows, and sacrifices: shall mortals be implacable? 
O Marcius, refuse me not the only request, I ever made to thee; I 
will never importune thee with any other. Cease thy immoderate 
anger; be reconciled to thy country; this is all I ask; grant me but 
this, and we shall both be happy. Freed from those tempestuous 
passions which now agitate thy soul, and from all the torments of 
self-reproach, thy days will flow smoothly on in sweet serenity of 
conscious virtue: And as for me, if I carry back to Rome the hopes 
of an approaching peace, an assurance of thy being reconciled to thy 
country, with what transports of joy shall I be received! In what 
honor, in what delightful repose, shall I pass the remainder of my life! 
What immortal glory shall I have acquired !".... 

The Volscian officers, not able unmoved to behold this scene, 
turned away their eyes: But Coriolanus passionately cried out: — "Ah! 
Mother, what art thou doing?" And tenderly pressing her hand he 
added in a low voice, "Rome is saved, but thy son is lost. " (N. Hook) 



164 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

SECTION III. 

Observations 

Obs: i. The degree of force, the length of time, the height 
or depth of inflexion on emphatic words, must be chiefly de- 
termined by the taste and judgment of the reader, aided by 
the character of the selection. 

For mere narration, the emphasis will be moderate. When 
feeling is united to the narration, the words expressing the 
emotion are brought out with more vigor and sparkle. 

The following is a choice example of narration enlivened 
by emotion. 

From Xalla IRoofcb 

There stood — but one short league away 

From old Harmozia's sultry bay — 

A rocky mountain, o'er the sea 

Of Oman beetling awfully; 

A last and solitary link 

Of those stupendous chains that reach 

From the Caspian's reedy brink 

Down winding to the Green Sea beach .... 

Thither the vanquished Hafed led 

His little army's last remains; — 

"Welcome, terrific glen!" he said, 

"Thy gloom, that Klbis' self might dread, 

Is heaven to him who flies from chains, ' ' 

O'er a dark narrow bridge- way, known 

To him and to his chiefs alone, 

They crossed the chasm and gained the towers — 

"This home," he cried, "at least is ours;.... 

Here — happy that no tyrant's eye 

Gloats on our torments — we may die!" {Moore) 

Obs. 2. In most sentences ', the tone of the voice is gradually 
elevated until the emphatic word is reached, and then the voice 
increases its speed, and gives the remaining words in descending. 



Emphasis 165 

ILLUSTRATIONS 






4? 



^ - *> ^ 

^ 



^ ^ 









V 






^ 









We find the same in pronouncing words, for example, 
application == he is coming. 



♦< 



s 



a r 



Incomprehensibility — He said that you belied him. 

Qbs. j. In very solemn address and in speaking of 
sombre, repulsive, or despicable things, the tone descends 
on the emphatic word. 



1 66 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

EXAMPLES 
From JEvin'e fflag 

What though for ages it droops in the dust, 
Shall it droop thus forever? No! No! God is just. 

(Father Ryan) 

From IRicbatD 1M1L Act I. 

O! I have passed a miserable night, 

So full of fearful dreams, of ugly sights 

That, as I am a Christian faithful man, 

I would not spend another such a night, 

Though it were to buy a world of happy days, 

So full of dismal terror was the time. (Shakespeare) 

From ©tbellO Act II. 

O God ! that men should put an enemy in their mouths, to steal 
away their brains! that we should with joy, revel, pleasure, and applause, 
transform ourselves into beasts! (Shakespeare) 

Obs. 4. Emphasis is too precious to lavish. If you 
make all the words emphatic, the specific aim of emphasis 
is lost. 

Prepositions, conjunctions, etc., are useful as links of 
speech, but alone they possess no meaning. It is absurd, 
therefore, and shows a very dull speaker, to emphasize 
"ands, " and "ofs, " and "ins," and "fors, " every time 
they occur. 

Do not say, 

I will never submit to such tyrranny. 



The smaller number of words which you may emphasize 
without detriment to the meaning and tenor of the sentence 
— the better. 



Emphasis i 67 

SECTION IV. 

TUnempbattc XKHor&s 

The student should now be able to render the emphatic 
words. The vtnemphatic members of the sentence may still 
puzzle him. The analysis of the following sentence aims 
to remove this perplexity. 

Daily practice in elocution makes the voice smooth. 

In this sentence the particles "in" and "the" should 
be obscured; the other words recieve only sufficient stress 
to make them yield their meaning distinctly. Note the 
difference when a word demanding special emphasis is 
introduced. 

Daily practice in elocution makes even a strident voice smooth. 

Here, "strident" differs as much in emphasis from 
"daily," "practice," etc., as do they from the particles. 
These unemphatic words are to be pronounced with the 
same force, relatively, as the unaccented syllables of words. 

ILLUSTRATION 

Indispensable = O how beautiful! 
Maladministration. = Where are you going? 



SECTION V. 

Climax 

The Climax, or orator's ladder, is such a disposition 
of words, clauses, or sentences, that each successive member 
transcends its predecessor in force and impressiveness. 



1 68 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Quintilian's rule was, "that a weaker assertion or pro- 
position should never come after a stronger one." 

A vivid climax of considerable length is a telling test 
of elocutionary attainment. In its delivery we must util- 
ize the best of voice and action we can afford. 

Keen discretion must govern its pronunciation, so 
that we may not exhaust our vocal power before ' ' capping ' ' 
the climax. 

The voice should ascend in harmony with the devel- 
opment of thought and feeling. 

Sometimes, the desired effect may be produced, by 
culminating the climax with an intense whisper. 

The Anti-Climax, the reverse of the climax, is used to 
burlesque,- to disparage, etc. Pope used it very successfully 
when he styled Lord Bacon, 

The greatest, wisest, meanest of mankind. 

EXAMPLES 
From /llbacbetb Act IV. 

I conjure you, by that which you profess, 

(Howe'er you come to know it) answer me. 

Though you untie the winds and let them fight 

Against the Churches; though the yesty waves 

Confound and swallow navigation up; 

Though bladed corn be lodg'd and trees blown down; 

Though castles topple o'er their warder's heads; 

Though palaces and pyramids do stoop 

Their heads to their foundations; though the treasure 

Of nature's germins tumble all together, 

Even till destruction sicken, answer me 

To what I ask you. (Shakespeare) 

From TLhe Ibuman GragefcE Act III. 

"But" — and yet tighter, as he spoke, he clenched 
His nervous grasp — "by the Enduring Powers, 
By all the tears that ever drowned and drenched 



Emphasis. 169 

The cheek of hopeless love through lonely hours, 
Whose parching fire can by no tears be quenched, 
By thy sire's ashes, by the sacred flowers 
That roof thy mother's grave, I thee conjure, 
Spare me not now! Strike home! I will endure." 

(Alfred Austin) 

From prologue to HDDison'g Cato 

To wake the soul by tender strokes of art, 

To raise the genius, and to mend the heart ; 

To make mankind in conscious virtue bold, 

Live o'er each scene, and be what they behold; 

For this the tragic Muse first trod the stage; 

Commanding tears to stream through every age; 

Tyrants no more their savage nature kept, 

And foes to virtue wonder' d how they wept. (Pope) 

From IRiCbarD 1F1F1T Act I. 

Then, came wandering by 
A shadow like an angel with bright hair 
Dabbled in blood; and he shrieked aloud, — 
"Clarence is come, — false, fleeting, perjured Clarence." 

(Shakespeare) 

From Xecturee on Justification 

The Apostles spread their nets for disciples, and caught thousands 

at a cast And when these had entered the Church, many of them, 

doubtless, would wax cold in love, and fall away; but still, those 
who had the seed of God within them, would become neither offences 
in the Church, nor apostates, nor heretics; but would find day by day, 
as love increased, increased experience, that what they had ventured 
boldly, amid conflicting evidence, of sight against sight, and reason 
against reason, with many things against it, but more things for it, 
they had ventured well. The examples of meekness, cheerfulness, 
contentment, silent endurance, private self-denial, fortitude, brotherly 
love, perseverance in well-doing, which would from time to time meet 
them in their new kingdom, — the sublimity and harmony of the Church's 
doctrine, — the touching and subduing beauty of her services and 
appointments, — their consciousness of her virtue, divinely imparted, 



170 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

upon themselves, in subduing, purifying, changing them, — the boun- 
tifulness of her alms-giving, — her power, weak as she was and despised, 
over the statesmen and philosophers of the world, — her consistent 
and steady aggression upon it, moving forward in spite of it on all 
sides at once, like the wheels in the Prophet's vision, and this in 
contrast with the ephemeral and various outbreaks of sectarianism, — the 
unanimity and intimacy existing between her widely separated branches, 
— the mutual sympathy and correspondence of men of hostile nations 
and foreign languages, — the simplicity of her ascetics, the gravity 
of her Bishops, the awful glory shed around her martyrs, and the 
mysterious and recurring traces of miraculous agency here and there, 
once and again according as the Spirit willed, — these and the like 
persuasives acted on them day by day, turning the whisper of their 
hearts into an habitual conviction, and establishing in the reason 
what had been begun in the will. {Newman) 

From Iking IRicbarD f 1f Act II. 

This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle, 

This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, 

This other Eden, demi-paradise; 

This fortress, built by nature for herself, 

Against the infection and hand of war; 

This happy breed of men, this little world; 

This precious stone set in the silver sea, 

Which serves it in the office of a wall, 

Or as a moat defensive to a house, 

Against the envy of less happier lands; 

This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England, 

This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings 

That England that was wont to conquer others, 

Hath made a shameful conquest of itself. {Shakespeare) 



CHAPTER XII. 



(Sestures of Different flDembers 

Each part of the human body is expressive. We have 
already treated of the hand and found it capable of ex- 
pressing almost any emotion, that may present itself. 
Quintilian says of the hand that, " while other limbs assist 
the speaker, the hands speak for themselves. For do we not 
demand, promise, call, dismiss, threaten, entreat, abhor, 
fear, ask, deny, with them? Do we not indicate joy, sad- 
ness, doubt, acknowledgment, remorse, measure, multi- 
tude, number and time with them? Do they not arouse 
courage? Do they not mourn, repel, consent? Do they 
not express admiration and shame? This is the language 
which in the great diversity of tongues among all races 
and peoples, I have in common with all men." No further 
commentary on the use of the hands is necessary. 

The feet and legs are sufficiently treated in the chapter 
on action. 

There are few gestures of the head. The movements 
of the head denoting yes or no, denying or giving assent, 
are the ones most commonly used. 

I. The Erect Head is the attitude of repose. It denotes 
calmness and attention; e. g., 

Well, let him continue; we are listening. 



172 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

2. The Bowed Head signifies thoughtfulness, reflection, 
resignation; e. g., 

From *>amlet Act III. 

To be or not to be, — that is the question: 

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer 

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune; 

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, 

And by opposing, end them? (Shakespeare) 

j. The Lifted Head is expressive of joy, vivacity, vehemence , 
self sufficiency, etc.; e. g., 

From Zhe /Ifoercbant of Denice Act I. 

Gratiano. Let me play the fool: 
With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come, 
And let my liver rather heat with wine, 
Than my heart cool with mortifying groans. 
Why should a man whose blood is warm within 
Sit like his grandsire cut in alabaster? (Shakespeare) 

4. The Advanced Head denotes eagerness, curiosity, 
etc.; e.g., 

Really, were you the person I met? 

5. The Head pivoted toward an object is significant of 
kindly feeling toward it; e. g., 

I am glad to see you. 

Pivoted from the object denotes disgust for it; e. g., 

I cannot bear the sight of you. 

6. The Head drawn back from anything denotes surprise, 
distrust, or haughtiness; e. g., 



Gestures of Different Members. 173 

From TZhe tbtofcen <3em 

"Ignotus, I implore you, speak. — Still silent? 

Speak, or I must believe your guilt. No answer? 

Have I then ta'en a viper to my bosom, 

Whom worthy I had deemed to be a son? 

A faithless robber for a holy man? 

And have five years of seeming piety, 

Of feigned austerity, and sham religion, 

Been but a hypocrite's deep preparation 

For vilest treachery, and meanest crime? 

Who will believe again in human virtue, 

If this be true. (Cardinal Wiseman) 

7. The Head is thrown entirely back and down in great 
despair, agony and prostration; e. g., 

O Cymbeline! heaven, and my conscience, knows, 
Thou didst unjustly banish me. (Shakespeare) 

8. The Head thrown entirely forward and down signifies 
shame, despair, etc.; e. g., 

Yes, I burn with shame to own it; I followed his bad example. 

p. The Head inclined toward the side expresses careless- 
ness, trustfulness, familiarity; e. g., 

From 710 J20U like ft Act III. 

Jacques. Rosalind is your love's name. 

Orlando. Yes, just. 

Jacques. I do not like her mane. 

Orl. There was no thought of pleasing you when she was 

christened. 
Jacques. What stature is she of? 
Orl. Just as high as my heart. 

Jacques. Good-bye, you; let's meet as little as we can. 
Orl. I do desire we may be better strangers. 

(Shakespeare) 



174 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

The Eye has been called "the window of the soul." 
Through it we detect the emotion which stirs the soul. It 
first communicates the thought. It is capable of more subtle 
expression than any other organ. The general rule which 
should govern the eye may be worded thus: Keep the 
eye to the audience. Even in reading, this is necessary. The 
eye should be so practiced that it can take in a whole line 
at a glance. Daniel Webster used to practice this by 
walking around a table on which was placed an open book, 
and, taking in, whilst facing the book, enough to continue 
speaking as he went around. With some practice, this can 
be brought to such a degree of perfection that the eye will, 
during entire sentences, look steadily at the audience. 

There are Nine Attitudes of the eye. 

i. The Normal Eye looking straight ahead and resting 
easily on any object. It is expressive of calmness, e. g., 

From Gbe jfllbercbartt of IDenice Act IV. 

Antonio. I do oppose 

My patience to his fury, and am arm'd 
To suffer with a quietness of spirit, 
The very tyranny and rage of his. {Shakespeare) 

2. The Normal Eye with raised brow is expressive of con- 
tempt; e. g., 

From Coriolanus Act III. 

Coriolanus. Are these your herd? — 

Must these have voices, that can yield them now, 
And straight disclaim their tongues? — What are your offices? 
You being their mouths, why rule you not their teeth? 
Have you not set them on? {Shakespeare) 



Gestures of Different Members. 175 

3. Eye wide open with brow drawn down denotes anger; 
e. g., 

From XLhC ComeD^ Ot JBtXOXS Act II. 

Now as I am a Christian, answer me, 
In what safe place you have bestow' d my money, 
Or I shall break that merry sconce of yours, 
That stands on tricks when I am indispos'd. 
Where is the thousand marks thou hadst of me? 

{Shakespeare) 

4. Eye opened wide with raised brow signifies astonish- 
ment; e. g., 

Traitor! — how now! {Shakespeare) 

5. Eye slightly closed with brow down indicates thought; 
e. g., 

Yes, if I recollect rightly, it was ten days ago. 

6. Eye opened with slightly lowered brow expresses firmness; 
e. g., 

From 3-ulius Caesar Act IV. 

Must I budge? 
Must I observe you? Must I stand and crouch 
Under your testy humor? {Shakespeare) 

7. Eye partly closed with the brow normal speaks of drow- 
siness; faintness etc., 

I pray you, bear with me: I can go no farther. {Shakespeare) 

8. Eye nearly closed with raised brow denotes malignity , 
and contempt of opposition; e. g., 

You thought to enchain me by your cunning hypocrisy. 

p. Eye open with normal brow denotes indefinite thought, 
day-dreamimg y stupor, and such like states of the mind; e. g., 



176 Elemekts of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

How long I strolled beside the stream 

I do not know, nor may I say. {Father Ryan) 

Zhe /Iboutb 

The Mouth y too, is a great agent of expression. To con- 
vince yourself of this, place one hand over the mouth and 
give to the eye and the upper part of the face the most sin- 
ister expression possible. Now look in your mirror and you 
will not be able to tell from the features whether the expres- 
sion is one of close scrutiny or of anger. 

The positions of the mouth, combined with the jaw and 
chin, are principally as follows: 1. Jaw firm, lips tightly 
closed denote tension, firmness, etc. 2. Jaw dropped, lips 
wide open; terror. 3. Chin protruded ; anger. 4. Lips com- 
pressed; concentration of mind. 5. Corners drawn up, — 
joy; corners down, sorrow. These positions of the mouth 
without the agreement of the other features would not be 
expressive of the emotions we have mentioned. Consonance 
is necessary. Do not assert with one member and deny with 
another. 

GENERAL EXAMPLES 

From Ifting IhentV TO, Part First, Act I. 

K. Henry. My blood hath been too cold and temperate, 
Unapt to stir at these indignities, 
And you have found me; for, accordingly, 
You tread upon my patience: but, be sure, 
I will from henceforth rather be myself, 
Mighty and to be feared, than my condition, 
Which hath been smooth as oil, soft as young down, 
And therefore lost that title of respect, 
Which the proud soul ne'er pays but to the proud. 

Worcester. Our house, my sovereign liege, little deserves 
The scourge of greatness to be used on it; 
And that same greatness, too, which our own hands 
Have helped to make so portly. 



Gestures of Different Members. 177 

K. H. Lord Worcester, get thee gone; for I do see 

Danger and disobedience in thine eye. 

O, sir! your presence is too bold and peremptory, 

And majesty might never yet endure 

The moody frontier of a servant brow. 

You have good leave to leave us: when we need 

Your use and counsel, we shall send for you. 

{Shakespeare) 

From /Maurice G^rone 

"You find it hard to pardon me?" she said plaintively. 

So he did. He turned away, and, for a moment, could hardly speak. 
She rose slowly and stood near him in an attitude of humility. 

"Can you find no excuse for me even in motive?" she pleaded. 
"Must I reveal myself all? Do you not know — can't you guess why 
I did this? and is there a man living Would not take such a motive 
into account when he is prayed for his forgiveness?" 

"Hush, pray, Mrs. Lorn," Tyrone said, turning round and speak- 
ing now in a hard, firm voice; "I had rather hear no more disclosures 
of any kind. I thank you for having told me this even now, although 
it comes too late. You have ruined two lives, I suppose; but if you 
care for words of forgiveness from me — well, then, take the words 'I 
forgive you'; and I will try and feel them hereafter more strongly 
than I do now. I hope you may be able to forgive yourself." 

{Justin McCarthy) 

From TUncle 'Uc^b {Talee 

On swept the squadrons! Then we looked where last the band was 

seen; 
A scarlet heap was all that marked the place where they had been ; 
And now it was with maddened hearts, we saw a galling sight: 
A French hussar was riding close beneath us on the right, — 
He held a British standard! with insulting shout he stood, 
And waved the flag, — its heavy folds drooped down with shame and 

blood, — 
The foreign dog! I see him as he holds the standard down, 
And makes his charger trample on its colors and its crown! 
But his life soon paid the forfeit: with a cry of rage and pain, 
Hilton dashes from the escort, like a tiger from his chain, 
Then aimed at him who held the flag a cut of crushing might 
And split him to the very chin! — a horrid, ghastly sight! 

(John Boyle O'Reilly) 



CHAPTER XIII. 



jpauee 

Many sentences, besides subject and predicate, contain 
certain subordinate ideas expressed in clauses and phrases. 
To show the relation between these governing and dependent 
parts, and to prevent uncertainty of reference, Pauses 
are used. These rhetorical pauses often coincide with the 
printer's pauses — but, sometimes, they are at variance. 
We often pause in reading, where no punctuation mark may 
be found, and must frequently disregard the grammatical 
pause, or sacrifice the sense. 

The judicious reader will use the punctuation marks 
merely as guides to point out the meaning of the author. 
The old rule, to count one at atomma; two, at a semicolon; 
three at — etc., together with its counterpart, let the voice 
always fall at a period, never at a comma, is now, happily, 
retained by only a few. We know that the voice often rises 
at a period, and sinks at a comma ; or for that matter, where 
no punctuation mark is necessary; and, that the pause at 
a comma is sometimes greater than at a semicolon, colon 
or period. 

The influence of the Pause in expression is boundless. 
Silence, often, speaks louder than words. Force, clearness, 
and dignity of phrases depend largely upon the Pause. We 
can tell from a reader's Pauses whether he understands 
his author. 



Pause. 179 

"A speaker is known by his ands and his ors 
Those stitches that fasten his patch-work together." 

The pause is necessary both for the reader and the hear- 
er. For the reader, it is a physical necessity; he must stop 
for breath supplies. For the hearer, it is a mental necessity; 
he cannot grasp the thoughts unless they are presented sep- 
arately; and time is given him to perceive their relation. 

The Length of the Pause is controlled by the character of 
the selection. In vehement expression, it will be very brief; 
in solemn utterance, long. Normal sentiments take the 
happy medium. 

EXAMPLES. 
From Bleanora 

Look on thy tender pledges left behind; 

And, if thou canst a vacant minute find 

From heavenly joys, that interval afford 

To thy sad children and thy mourning lord, (Dryden) 

From n fbemoxy 

Yea! dreams that vied with angels' flight, 

And, soaring, bore my heart away 

Beyond the far star-bounds of night, 

Unto the everlasting day. (Father Ryan) 

From Zbc Collecnane 

The spirit of the scene produced its effect upon the mind of Hardress 
himself, who, yielding to its influence, adopted a degree of gaiety that 
surprised and delighted all who were interested in his fortunes. 

It is true, that from time to time, a fear struck at his heart, like the 
shock of an alarm, and the glassy eyes of a corpse seemed at intervals 
to stare at him from among the crowd. But he turned his eyes and his 
thoughts away to happier objects, and, as if in defiance of the ghastly 
interruption, became more gay than before. (Gerald Griffin) 

If we follow the punctuation in the above examples, 
we must pause before and after the italicized words: and 



180 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

in the first, and in the second, who and and in the third. 
But by doing so, we give the words undue prominence and 
thereby impair the sense. We make "and" stand alone, 
endowing it with an independence of which it is incapable. 
Our ears may be accustomed to hear sentences rendered in 
this manner — for faulty readers abound — and hence do not 
object to such violations. But the custom of making vacu- 
ums, by separating words that are inseparable, is abhorred 
by nature, and condemned by the judicious, as a vile cus- 
tom — "honour'd in the breach." Evidently,we must pass 
over the printer's pauses and put together what he has put 
asunder. 

A right moral state of heart is the formal and scientific condition 
of a poetical mind. {Newman) 

In this sentence no punctuation is required; yet, in its 
delivery, few would not fail to pause as follows : 

A right moral state of heart | ( is the formal | and scientific condition 
1 1 of a poetical mind. 

The Reformation | in its results | has been unfavorable to literature. 
Its immediate effect was | to destroy the literary spirit. Erasmus said 
| that wherever it prevailed, | letters went to ruin. Hallam remarks | 
that "the first effects of the great religious schism in Germany | were 
not favorable to Classical literature." {Brother Azarias) 

Here, the punctuation demands few pauses; the reader, 
however, will not neglect those marked. 



TCules for pausing 

i. Pause before relative pronouns, and adverbs of time and 
place that convey the idea of a relative. 

(Only pauses exemplifying the particular rule will be indicated.) 



Pause. 181 

EXAMPLES 
From Creator anfc Creature 

There is something awful in the enduring love of God, something 
| which overshadows the spirits of creatures so capricious and inconstant 
as ourselves. He will not easily surrender to His enemies a creature | 
whom He has borne in His bosom like a nurse from the beginning. 
Into the least of His blessings he pours an endless love. There are no 
infirmities | which He disdains, no prayers | which He disregards. 

{Father Faber) 

From passing ffootsteps 

One other foot, through the shadows goes by, and I listen again: 
'Tis the step of a man grown aged among his fellow men: 
'Tis a weary while | since a mother | first guided those stumbling feet, 
They have grown unfit for this busy mart | where the world's strong 
pulses beat. (Eleanor C. Donnelly) 

2. Whatever intervenes between the subject and its predicate, 
between the verb and its object, should be separated from each 
by pauses. 

From Zhe Zuvt Sball be my ffragrant Sbrtne 

Thy heaven, | on which 'tis bliss to look, | 

Shall be my pure and shining book, 

Where I shall read, | in words of flame 

The glories of thy wondrous name. (Moore) 

From H tempest at Sea 

The mountains and valleys, | with their bold lineaments and lux- 
urious verdure, 1 are beautiful; but theirs is not like the beauty of 
the ocean, for here all is life and movement. (Archbishop Hughes) 

j. A succession of adjectives, in natural order, takes a pause 
after each save the last. 

From XLhc /Ifcercbant of Wentce Act III. 

Look on beauty, 
And you shall see 'tis purchased by the weight; 
Which therein works a miracle in nature, 
Making them lightest that wear most of it: 



1 82 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

So are those crisped | snaky | golden locks, 

Which make such wanton gambol with the wind, 

Upon supposed fairness, often known 

To be the dowry of a second head 

The skull, that bred them, in the sepulchre. {Shakespeare) 

From Zbc Storg ot ITrelanD 

The earl marshal returned with the unwelcome news to the king, 
who flew into rage! What! He the great, | the courtly, | the puissant,, 
| and gorgeous King Richard of England, thus haughtily treated by 
a mere Irish prince! By the glory of William the Conqueror, this 
astounding conduct should meet a dreadful chastisement. 

(Alexander M. Sullivan) 

From Zhe tRepublic 

Loyalty is the highest, | noblest | and most generous | of human 
virtues, and is the human element of that sublime charity which, 
the inspired Apostle tells, us is the fulfillment of the law. There is 
nothing great, | generous, | good, | or heroic, | of which a truly loyal 
people are not capable, and nothing mean, | base, | cruel, | brutal, | 
criminal, | detestable, | not to be expected of a really ioyal people. 

(Orestes A, Brownson) 

4. A series of nouns belonging to one verb requires a pause 
after each. 

EXAMPLES 

Faith, I Justice, | Heaven itself, | now quit their hold, 
When to false fame the captive heart is sold. (Pope) 

From Catbolic anD proteetant Countries Compared 

To what do we owe our knowledge of the ancient classics at the 
present day but to the indefatigable literary zeal of the Catholic priest- 
hood — of popes, I bishops, | priests, | and above all of the monks — in 
collecting, preserving, and transcribing these highly-prized treasures? 
Who produced and who carefully preserved the Book of books — the 
Holy Bible, especially the Bible of Christians — the New Testament? 
From what source have flowed forth all the precious and profoundly 



Pause. 183 

learned writings of the long line of fathers, | doctors, | theologians, 
I and historians | of Christianity? He would be a venturesome defam- 
er indeed who would dare call in question the debt that the world owes 
the Catholic Church on the score of the cultivation of letters, as the 
controversialist would be no less venturesome to attempt to frame an 
excuse for the attacks made upon literary culture by the early Re- 
forme^ and the wanton destruction of untold thousands of books 
and manuscripts in hundreds of libraries by these vandals who sprang 
up all over Great Britain, | Germany, | and in other countries | where 
Protestantism in its bigoted and ignorant wrath strove by fire, | sword 
I and robbery | to wipe from off the face of the earth every vestige of 
what had been the most glorious monuments of Christendom. 

{Alfred Young) 

From JEptStle 1D1L (Imitations of Horace) 

This vault of air,| this congregated ball, | 
Self-centred sun, | and stars | that rise and fall. 
There are, my friend! whose philosophic eyes 
Look through and trust the ruler with his skies; 
To him commit the hour, | the day, | the year, | 
And view this dreadful all without a fear. {Pope) 

5. When we wish to make a word very emphatic, we should 
pause before and after it. 

EXAMPTES 
From IKing 30bn Act III. 

O Austria, thou dost shame 
That bloody spoil; | thou slave, | thou wretch, | thou coward ;| 
Thou little valiant, great | in villainy ! . . . . 
What a fool | art thou | 

A ramping fool; | to brag, | and stamp, | and swear, | 
Upon my party!. . . . 

Thou I wear a lion's hide! | doff it for shame, 
And hang | a calf's skin \ on those recreant limbs. {Shakespeare) 



1 84 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

From JBrutUS 

Go to the tomb where lie his murder'd wife, 
And the poor queen, who lov'd him as her son, 
Their unappeased ghosts will shriek, | Revenge! | 
The temples of the gods, the all- viewing heaven,- — 
The gods themselves, — will justify the cry, • 

And swell the general sound — | Revenge! | Revenge! 

(J. Howard Payne) 

It would be an easy task to multiply grammatical relations 
that require a pause before or after, or both, but as they are 
all subject to a general rule, it is unnecessary. A uniform 
observance of the following rule will result in correct paus- 
ing: 

Never make a pause which injures the sense. 

Any pause so introduced is from the purpose of speaking 
''whose end, both at first, and now, was, and is," to convey 
meaning. 

Still follow sense of every art the soul : 

Parts answering parts shall slide into a whole. (Pope) 

Require the students to indicate the pauses in the follow- 
ing selections. 



GENERAL EXAMPLES 
From ftbe Bream of 1bome 

Who has not felt how sadly sweet 

The dream of home, the dream of home 

Steals o'er the heart, too soon to fleet, 

When far o'er sea or land we roam? 

Sunlight more soft may o'er us fall, 

To greener shores our bark may come; 

But far more bright, more dear than all, 

That dream of home, that dream of home. 

Ask of the sailor youth when far 

His light bark bounds o'er ocean's foam 



Pause. i 85 

What charms him most, when evening's star 

Smiles o'er the wave? to dream of home. 

Fond thoughts of absent friends and loves 

At that sweet hour around him come: 

His heart's best joy where'er he roves, 

That dream of home, that dream of home. (Moore) 

From XZbe f3i6tor£ of ;6nglanD 

If we estimate the character of a sovereign by the test of popular 
affection, we must rank Edward the Confessor among the best princes 
of his time. The goodness of his heart was adored by his subjects, 
who lamented his death with tears of undissembled grief, and be- 
queathed his memory as an object of veneration to their posterity. 
The blessings of his reign are the constant theme of our ancient writers ; 
not, indeed, that he displayed any of those brilliant qualities, which 
attract admiration, while they inflict misery. He could not boast 
of the victories he had achieved: but he exhibited the interesting 
spectacle of a king, negligent of his private interests, and totally de- 
voted to the welfare of his people; and, by his labors to restore the 
dominion of the laws; his vigilance to ward off foreign aggression; 
his constant, and ultimately successful solicitude to appease the feuds 
of his nobles ; if he did not prevent the interruption, he secured, at least, 
a longer duration of tranquillity than had been enjoyed in England 
for half a century. He was pious, kind, and compassionate; the father 
of the poor, and the protector of the weak; more willing to give than 

to receive; and better pleased to pardon than to punish Hence 

he appeared to shine with purer light amid the gloom with which he 
was surrounded: and whenever the people under the despotism of the 
Norman Kings had any opportunity of expressing their real wishes, 
they constantly called for "the laws and customs of the good King 
Edward." (Lingard) 

From St. Gbomas ot Canterbury 

Lords, I know you; 
What done ye have, and what intent ere yet 
Yon sun that rises weeping sets this night: 
And therefore bind I with this charge your souls; 
If any secular court shall pass its verdict 
On me, your lord, or ere that sin be sinned, 
I bid you flee that court; if secular arm 
Attempt me, lay thereon the Church's ban, 



1 86 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Or else against you I appeal to Rome. 

To-day the heathen rage — I fear them not; 

If^ fall I must; this hand ere yet I fall, 

Stretched from the bosom of a peaceful gown 

Above a troubled king and darkening realm, 

Shall send God's sentence forth. My lords, farewell! 

(Aubrey De Vere) 

From Zhc ;fj6ri&al of tbe Beat 

And the artist, too — the gifted — 
He whose soul is heavenward lifted 
Till it drinketh inspiration 
At^the fountain of the skies; 
He, within whose fond embraces 
Start^to^life the marble graces; 
Or, with god-like power presiding, 
With the potent pencil gliding, 
O'er the void chaotic canvas 
Bids the fair creation rise! 
And the quickened mass obeying 

Heaves its mountains; 

From its fountains 
Sends the gentle streams astraying 
Through the vales, like Love's first feeling 
Stealing o'er a maiden's heart; 

The Creator — 

Imitator — 
From his easel forth doth start. 
And from God's glorious nature learns anew his art! 

(D. F. M'Carthy) 

From ©ccaeional Sermons 

I need not tell you, how suddenly the word of truth came to our 
ancestors in this island and subdued them to its gentle rule, how the 
grace of God fell on them, and, without compulsion, as the historian 
tells us, the multitude became christian; how, when all was tempest- 
uous, and hopeless, and dark, Christ like a vision of glory came walk- 
ing to them on the waves of the sea .... The fair form of Christianity 
rose up and grew and expanded like a beautiful pageant from north 
to south; it was majestic, it was solemn, it was bright, it was beautiful 
and pleasant, it was soothing to the griefs, it was indulgent to the hopes 



Pause. 187 

of man; it was at once a teaching and a worship; it had a dogma, a 
mystery, a ritual of its own; it had an hierarchical form. A brother- 
hood of holy pastors, with miter and crosier and uplifted hand, walked 
forth and blessed and ruled a joyful people. The crucifix headed the 
procession, and simple monks were there with hearts in prayer, and 
sweet chants resounded, and the holy Latin tongue was heard, and the 
boys came forth in white, swinging censers, and the fragrant cloud arose, 
and Mass was sung, and the saints were invoked; and day after day, 
and in the still night, and over the woody hills and in the quiet plains, 
as constantly as sun and moon and stars go forth in heaven; so regular 
was the stately march or blessed services on earth, high festival, and 
gorgeous procession, and soothing dirge, and passing bell, and the fa- 
miliar evening call to prayer ; till he who recollected the old pagan time 
would think it all unreal that he beheld and heard, and would conclude 
he did but see a vision, so marvelously was heaven let down upon earth, 
so triumphantly were chased away the fiends of darkness to their prison 
below. 

Such was the change which came over our forefathers; such was the 
Religion bestowed upon them, bestowed on them as a second grant, 
after the grant of the territory itself ; nay, it might almost have seemed 
as the divine guarantee or pledge of its occupation. And you know 
its name; there can be no mistake; you know what that religion was 
called. It was called by no modern name — for modern religions then 
were not. You know what religion has priests and sacrifices, and 
mystical rites, and the monastic rule, and care for the souls of the dead, 
and the profession of an ancient faith, coming through all ages, from 
the Apostles. There is one, and only one religion such; it is known 
everywhere; every poor boy in the street knows the name of it; there 
never was a time since it first was, that its name was not known, and 
known to the multitude. It is called Catholicism — a world-wide 
name, and incommunicable; attached to us from the first; accorded 
to us by our enemies; in vain attempted, never stolen from us, by our 
rivals. Such was the worship which the English people gained when 
they emerged out of paganism into gospel light. In the history of 
their conversion, Christianity and Catholicism are one; they are in 
that history, as they are in their own nature, convertible terms. 

{Newman) 



CHAPTER XIV. 



poetic IReafcing 

Poetry and music in early days were united. They 
are still allied, though many have tried to sunder them. 
Music informs lyric poetry. Dry den tells us, "The charm 
of poetry our souls bewitch," and Shakespeare, "Much is 
the force of heaven-bred poesy. " Rob poetry of its magic 
rhythm, however, and you deprive it of its witchery and 
force. Poetry is an art, and like sculpture, architecture, 
painting, and music, its effects are premeditated. If we do 
not by diligent study discover the end for which a poet em- 
ploys a certain metre, certain words, certain blendings, we 
will fail to bring out his intention. In preparing a poem for 
recitation, do the same as you should do in prose: First 
find out the author's meaning; the meaning is always of pri- 
mary importance. 

But poets (not poetasters) always arrange their words 
so that we can bring out the meaning in sweet, melodious 
numbers. "The great masters require of the reader only 
that he should understand their meaning and deliver it with 
proper accentuation; then they will answer for the prosody 
coming right." — Ruskin: Elements of English Prosody. 
Rhythm is a chief source of poetic charm. Anyone derives 
pleasure from observing rhythmical motions in nature. The 
undulatory fields of grain before the harvest; the graceful 
swaying of the leafy boughs in summer's welcome breezes; 



Poetic Reading. 



189 



the rippling of singing rivulets over the hardy pebbles; the 
playful waves chasing one another toward the strand, will 
arouse pleasurable emotions in the most insensible. 

The rhythm of nature derives its beauty from the re- 
currence of like motions at measured intervals of space or 
time. "The wave swells and then sinks, making a crest 
and a hollow, visible to the eye. A succession of crests 
and hollows forms a rhythm. " Rhythm, therefore, in poetry 
is the harmonious result of stressed syllables at regular 
intervals. It is not necessary to chant the words or to fall 
into "sing-song," the false gallop of verse, "to bring out this 
rhythm." If we read true poetry, the rhythm and meaning 
will always accord. If we read doggerel or "splay-foot 
verse," we may read it for the jingle, as sense does not 
enter largely into such pieces. The poet's choice of metre 
is not arbitrary. He must suit the metre to the thought. 

EXAMPLES 



Oh, lost, for ever lost — no more 
Shall Vesper light our dewy way 
Along the rocks of Crissa's shore 
To hymn the fading fires of day. 



{Moore) 



My brother's breast was warm with truth, 
Was bright with honor's purest ray: 
He was the dearest, gentlest youth — 
Ah, why then was he torn away? 



{Ibid) 



Compare these stanzas with the following : 
From XLbc JSriDal of tbe l^ear 



But the Bride — the Bride is coming! 
Birds are singing, bees are humming; 
Silent lakes amid the mountains 
Look but cannot speak their mirth; 
vStreams go bounding in their gladness, 



190 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

With a Bacchanalian madness: 
Trees bow down their heads in wonder, 
Clouds of purple part asunder, 
As the Maiden of the Morning 
Leads the blushing Bride to Earth! 
Bright as are the planets seven — 

With her glances 

She advances 
For her azure eyes are heaven! 
And her robes are sun-beams woven, 
And her beauteous bridesmaids are 

Hopes and Wishes — 

Dreams delicious — 
Joys from some serener star, 
And Heavenly-hued Illusions gleaming from afar! 

(D. F. M' Car thy) 

Why did not Moore employ the same metre for his theme 
as M'Carthy? Because the tripping metre so aptly used by 
the latter, would be ill-suited to the slow tones of grief, in 
fact, would burlesque sorrow. It will avail the poet little, 
however, to harmonize metre and subject, if the reader does 
not imitate him. A knowledge of versification is indis- 
pensable for the higher effects of poetical reading. A brief 
presentation of the feet most commonly used is all that we can 
conveniently introduce. For further information the student 
is referred to some treatise on versification. 

A poetic foot may be composed of two or three syllables. 

DISSYLLABIC FEET 
Iambus, second syllable accented, as amaze. 
Trochee, first " sylvan. 

Spondee, both syllables moonbeam. 

TRISSYLLABIC FEET 
Dactyl, first syllable accented, as dutiful. 

Amphibrach, second syllable accented, as remember. 



Poetic Reading. 191 

Anapest, third syllable accented, as recollect. 

The ancient names for the feet have been retained, but 
we should remember that the feet in English are not long 
and short but accented and unaccented. 

The Iambus, the Trochee, the Dactyl, and the Anapest are 
called primary feet. A poem may be formed of any of these 
without recourse to blending. The following examples are 
given to illustrate the melody peculiar to each kind. 

SPONDEE 

Rash dream ) er return ! O ye winds of the main 

Bear him back to his own peaceful Ara again. (Griffin) 

Farewell, | a long ] farewell | to all J my greatness. 

(Shakespeare) 

AMPHIBRACH 
No pearl ev | er lay un | der Oman's | green water. (Moore) 

IAMBUS 
From %\r\CB 

The world | is sweet, | and fair, | and bright, 

And joy aboundeth everywhere, 

The glorious stars crown every night, 

And thro' the dark of ev'ry care 

Above us shineth heaven's light. (Father Ryan) 

TROCHEE 
From (3tve place 

Joy so I true and | tender, 

Dare you not abide? 
Will you spread your pinions 

Must you leave our side? 
Nay, an Angel's shining grace 

Waits to fill your place! (Adelaide A. Procter) 



192 Elements of Expression, Vocai, and Physical. 

DACTYL 
From Sieter ot Cbaritg 



Sister of | Charity, | child of the | ho-li-est, 

O for thy living soul ardent as pure. — 

Mother of orphans and friend of the lowliest — 

Stay of the wretched, the guilty, the poor. (R. D. Williams) 

ANAPEST 

Sweet vale | of Avo | ca! how calm | could I rest 
In thy bosom of shade, with the friends 1 love best, 
Where the storms that we feel in this cold world should cease, 
And our hearts like thy waters be mingled in peace. 

It is unnecessary to preserve one species of feet through- 
out the poem. Hence, in reading poetry, if you find, that, 
by observing the preponderant metre of a given poem, you 
violate accent or emphasis, scan the line, to see whether 
the poet has introduced another kind of feet. 

EXAMPLES 
That heals the wound, and cures not the disgrace. {Shakespeare) 

If we read this verse as though it contained all iambic 
feet we will emphasize "the" in the fourth foot, which is 
plainly wrong. If we scan the line, we will discover the 
fourth foot to be a pyrrhic. 

That heals | the wound, | and cures | not the | disgrace. 

Eye nature's walks, shoot folly as it flies, 
And catch the manners living as they rise. 

According to the scheme of the verse, "as" in the first 
and the second line, should receive stress. Scan the lines, 
however, and you will find that the poet has introduced 
pyrrhics. 



Poetic Reading. 193 

Here is a stanza including three kinds of feet, with vary- 
ing position. 

From Zbc Gurn ot tbe Xeat 

Poor tiny leaf, still so green, Oh! how 
Can you forsake thus your native bough? 
The sun still willing to shine around 
And yet forsooth you sink to the ground! 

(Kenelm Henry Digby) 

Another source of melody in verse, is the Final and 
CcBsural pause. The Final pause is especially necessary 
in lyric poetry where the length of the lines vary. Surely 
the poet did not make one line longer or shorter than another 
from mere caprice; and what he, on the printed page, ad- 
dresses to our eye, we must convey to the hearer, by means 
of the final pause. Where the concluding word of a line 
is closely related to the initial word of the succeeding verse, 
make a delicate suspension, or poise of the voice on it, 
using it as a pivot. In this way you will keep the lines dis- 
tinct, and not impair the sense. Lord Karnes, the eminent 
Scotch critic, attributes the great variety of modulation 
conspicuous in English verse to pauses and accents, and 
warns the reader, that unless he attends to these, he will 
fail to appreciate the richness and variety of English ver- 
sification. 

The Ccesural pause occurs about the middle of the verse. 
It is soon determined in a selection, but when once found, 
should not be followed blindly. It often varies. 

EXAMPLES 

Thus, if eternal justice |[ rules the ball ( 

Thus shall your wives, || and thus your children fall. (Pope) 

His peers upon this evidence, 
Have found him guilty of high treason. Much 

He spoke, and learnedly, for life: but all 
Was either pitied in him, or forgotten. (Shakespeare) 



194 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

'Tis with our judgements as our watches: || none 
Go just alike, yet each believes his own. {Pope) 

What the weak head with strongest bias rules 
Is pride; || the never failing vice of fools. {Ibid) 

The nations have fallen, || and thou art still young 

Thy sun is but rising, || when others are set; 

And though slavery's cloud || o'er thy morning hath hung, 

The full moon of freedom 1 1 shall beam round thee yet. 

Erin, oh Erin, || though long in the shade, 

Thy star will shine out || when the proudest shall fade. {Moore) 

What if the foot, || ordained the dust to tread, 

Or hand, to toil, || aspired to be the head? 

What if the head, || the eye, or ear, repined 

To serve mere engines || to the ruling mind? 

Just as absurd, || for any part to claim 

To be another, || in this general frame: 

Just as absurd || to mourn the task or pains 

The great directing mind of all || ordains. {Moore) 

All the foregoing is strengthened by the testimony of 
Legouve: "When you read a poet, read him as a poet.. 
Where there is rhythm let that rhythm be heard! When 
the verses are painting and music, be a painter and a mu- 
sician when you read them ! ' ' 

The following examples, containing various melodies, 
are added for the student to analyze. 

GENERAL EXAMPLES 

From £0=DaE 

To-day is bright with golden gleams of spring, 

To-day is fair, and all our sweet hopes sing; 

But night comes down, and then our day is done. 

It is not always bright, nor always spring, 

And sunny seasons are the ones that bring 

Most sudden showers; and the light is gone. 

Live in the sunlight, in the fair to-day! 

To-morrow keeps to-morrow, and the way 

May, in a moment, lose the light of sun! {Maurice F. Egan) 



Poktic Reading. 195 

From Gbeit StotE IRunnetb Gbus 

He sat beside that lonely grave for long, 

He took its grasses in his trembling hand, 

He toyed with them and wet them with his tears, 

He read the name again and still again, .... 

"What means it all? Can this be Ethel's grave? 

I dreamed her soul had fled. 

Was she the white dove that I saw in dream 

Fly o'er the sleeping sea so long ago? 

The convent bell 
Rang sweet upon the breeze, and answered him 
His question. And he rose and went his way 
Unto the convent gate; long shadows marked 
One hour before the sunset, and the birds 
Were singing Vespers in the convent trees. 
As silent as a star-gleam came a nun 
In answer to his summons at the gate; 
Her face was like the picture of a Saint, 
Or like an angel's smile;. . . .her lips were pale and worn 
By ceaseless prayer; and when she sweetly spoke, 
And bade him enter, 'twas in such a tone 
As only voices own which day and night 
Sing hymns to God. 

She locked the massive gate. 
He followed her along a flower-fringed walk 
That, gently rising, led up to the home 
Of virgin hearts. (Father Ryan) 

From Xalla IRooftb 

But, hark! the vesper call to prayer, 
As slow the orb of daylight sets, 
Is rising sweetly on the air, 
From Syria's thousand minarets! 
The boy has started from the bed 
Of flowers, where he had laid his head, 
And down upon the fragrant sod 
Kneels, with his forehead to the south. 
Lisping the eternal name of God 
From Purity's own cherub mouth, 
And looking, while his hands and eyes 
Are lifted to the glowing skies, 



196 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Like a stray babe of Paradise, 

Just lighted on that flowery plain, 

And seeking for its home again. 

Oh! 'twas a Sight — that Heaven — that child — 

A scene which might have well beguiled 

Even haughty Eblis of a sigh 

For glories lost and peace gone by! 

And now felt he, the wretched man 

Reclining there — while memory ran 

O'er many a year of guilt and strife, 

Flew o'er the dark flood of this life, 

Nor found one sunny resting-place, 

Nor brought him back one branch of grace? 

"There was a time," he said, in mild 

Heart-humbled tones — "thou blessed child! 

When, young and haply pure as thou, 

I looked and prayed like thee — but now — " 

He hung his head — each nobler aim, 

And hope, and feeling, which had slept 

From boyhood's hour, that instant came 

Fresh o'er him, and he wept — he wept! — • 

Blest tears of soul-felt penitence! 

In whose benign redeeming flow 

Is felt the first, the only sense 

Of guiltless joy that guilt can know. {Moore) 

From pbilip anD /BMlDrefc 

Lingering fade the rays of daylight, and the listening air is chilly; 
Voice of bird and forest murmur, insect hum and quivering fly, 
Stir not in that quiet hour; through the valley, calm and stilly, 
All is hushed and loving silence watch the slow departing day, 
Till the faint last western cloudlet, faint and rosy, ceases blushing, 
And the blue grows deep and deeper where one trembling planet shines, 
And the day has gone forever — then, like some great ocean rushing, 
The sad night wind wails lamenting, sobbing through the moaning 

pines. 
Such, of all day's changing hours, is the fittest and the sweetest « 
For a farewell hour — and parting looks less bitter and more blest; 
Earth seems like a shrine for sorrow, Nature's mother voice is sweetest, 
And her hand seems laid in chiding on the unquiet throbbing breast. 

{Adelaide A. Procter) 



Poetic Reading. 197 

From ftbealom anfc Hcbitopbel 

Surrounded thus with friends of every sort, 

Deluded Absalom forsakes the court, .... 

The admiring crowd are dazzled with surprise 

And on his goodly person feed their eyes. 

His looks, his gestures and his words he frames 

And with familiar ease repeats their names. 

Thus formed by nature, furnished out with arts, 

He glides unfelt into their secret hearts, 

Then with a kind compassionating look, 

And sighs bespeaking pity ere he spoke, ' 

Few words he said, but easy those and fit, 

More slow than Hybla-drops and far more sweet, 

"I mourn, my countrymen, your lost estate, 

Though far unable to prevent your fate: 

Behold a banished man, for your dear cause 

Exposed a prey to arbitrary laws! 

Yet oh that I alone could be undone, 

Cut off from empire and no more a son! 

Now all your liberties a spoil are made 

Egypt and Tyrus intercept your trade 

And Jebusites your sacred rites invade. 

My father, whom with reverence yet I name. 

Charmed into ease is careless of his fame; 

Exalts his enemies, his friends destroys, 

And all his power against himself employs. 

He gives, and let him give, my right away; 

But why should he his own and yours betray?" 

Youth, beauty, graceful action seldom fail. 

But common interest always will prevail; 

And pity never ceases to be shown 

To him who makes the people's wrongs his own. (Dryden) 

From Zhc pilgrims of tbe IRigbt 

Hark! hark! my soul, angelic songs are swelling 
O'er earth's green fields and ocean's wave-beat shore; 
How sweet the truth those blessed strains are telling 
Of that new life when sin shall be no more! 

Chorus. Angels of Jesus, 
Angels of light, 



198 Elements op Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Singing to welcome 

The pilgrims of the night! 

Darker than night, life's shadows fall around us, 
And, like benighted men, we miss our mark; 
God hides Himself, and grace hath scarcely found us, 
Ere death finds out his victim in the dark. 

Onward we go, for still we hear them singing, 
Come, weary souls! for Jesus bids you come! 
And through the dark, its echoes sweetly ringing, 
The music of the Gospel leads us home. 

Far, far away, like bells at evening pealing, 
The voice of Jesus sounds o'er land and sea, 
And laden souls, by thousands meekly stealing, 
Kind Shepherd! turn their weary steps to Thee. 

Rest comes at length; though life be long and dreary, 
The day must dawn, and darksome night be past; 
All journeys end in welcomes to the weary, 
And heaven, the heart's true home, will come at last. 

Cheer up, my soul! faith's moonbeams softly glisten 
Upon the breast of life's most troubled sea; 
And it will cheer thy drooping heart to listen 
To those brave songs which angels mean for thee. 

Angels! sing on, your faithful watches keeping, 

Sing us sweet fragments of the songs above; 

While we toil on, and soothe ourselves with weeping, 

Till life's long night shall break in endless love. {Father Faber) 



CHAPTER XV. 



personation 

A knowledge of the bounds of personation is of vast 
importance. Many otherwise fair elocutionists 'o'erstep the 
modesty of nature by trying to be several persons at the 
same time. As rules which must be observed, we insert 
the following: 

i. Personation is usually not allowed unless the direct 
speech of a person is given. In such a sentence as, 

"She tore from braids of long black hair 

The gems that gleamed like star-light there," etc., 

you are not allowed to go through a motion indicative of 
tearing them from your own hair. In the following example 
notice the personation does not commence till you arrive 
at the direct speech. Then raise the hand as if grasping 
a scepter, and point, at the same time assuming majestic 
voice. 

From Ibeart of JBruce 

The king sighed slightly, and his eyelids sank: 

Later his eyes unclosed: and with strong voice 

And hand half raised as if it grasped a scepter, 

He spake; "Yon case of silver is a reliquary — 

Seal thou therein my heart when dead I lie ; 

In the Holy Land inter it. " , (Aubrey De Vere) 

In speaking of another's limbs, face, mouth, etc., do not 
point or refer to your own; e. g., 



Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 
From Zbe Gwo Interpreters 

The father looked, and, with a pang 

Of love and strange alarm, 

Drew close the little eager child 

Within his sheltering arm; 

From out the clouds the mother looks 

With wistful glance below, 

She seems to seek the treasure left 

On earth so long ago ; 

She holds her arms out to her child, 

His cradle song she sings: 

The last rays of the sunset gleam 

Upon her outspread wings. 

In vain the bright stars, one by one, 

On the blue silence start, 

A dreary shadow rests to-night 

Upon the father's heart. (Adelaide A . Procter) 



2. Personation is often in place where, although no direct 
speech is used, the selection is intensely dramatic. This is 
on account of our sympathy with the situation. We see 
some one we love in a terrible crisis, and we involuntarily 
portray his actions, allow him to speak, as it were, through 
our organs of expression. As an example of this, Coppee's 
" Night Watch" will serve. Irene de Grandfief sees lying 
wounded before her the man who murdered her lover. 
She must tend him and administer a potion regularly to 
prevent fever. Her wrongs burn within her, and, for a 
time, she hesitates. After a terrible struggle, she overcomes 
self, and with eyes ever bent on her crucifix fulfils her duty. 
Though much of the latter part of the piece is not in direct 
speech, still personation would be proper on account of the 
dramatic intensity. 



Personation. 201 

EXAMPLES 

From I{ SfcetCb 

The tenement was ablaze. The clang of the fire bells, the shouts of 
the spectators, the roaring of the flames above, and of the engines be- 
low in the streets was deafening. Suddenly there appeared far above, 
out of reach of the ladders, a woman holding an infant. Flames were 
licking the casement of the window below. In a few moments she 
would be enwrapped in them. The eyes of the crowd are upon her. 
Their hearts go out to her in her terrible peril. Oh for a means of sav- 
ing her and her precious burden! And is she to be made a holocaust 
to the fire-king? A moment more and that creeping red flame will 
be around her! Oh God! is there no hand to snatch her from that 
hell around? (Williams) 

From £be ©&£S6eE 

With speed the bark they climb; the spacious sails 

Loosed from the yards invite the impelling gales. 

Past sight of shore, along the surge they bound, 

And all above is sky, and ocean all around; 

When lo! a murky cloud the Thunderer forms 

Dull o'er their heads, and blackens heaven with storms. 

Night dwells o'er all the deep: and now outflies 

The gloomy west, and whistles in the skies. 

The mountain-billows roar! the furious blast 

Howls o'er the shroud, and rends it from the mast: 

The mast gives way and, cracking as it bends, 

Tears up the deck; then all at once descends: 

The pilot by the tumbling ruin slain, 

Dashed from the helm, falls headlong in the main. 

(Pope's Translation) 

From Zoo Strange not to be Zxue 

D Auban ran towards the river, and sprang into the canoe of the 
barge with which one of his boatmen remained the night before. 
Cutting with a knife the rope that fastened it to the shore, both be- 
gan to row for their lives. The natives pursued them. They had 
sworn by the great Sun that not a white man should escape. Arrows 
whizzed in the ears of the pursued, and the savages were gaining upon 
them. For one instant — it was a desperate expedient — d'Auban 



202 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

laid down the oars, and seized the fowling-piece lying at the bottom 
of the barge. He levelled it at them. The pursuers, terrified at the 
sight of the gun, dashed aside and slackened their speed. 

(Lady Georgiana Fullerton) 

j. The character may be personated when we have the 
direct speech, hut we are not permitted to use accessories. The 
elocutionist is not allowed the liberties of the actor. In 
reciting the lines of Falstaff, directed to the grand jurors, 
whom he has waylaid, we are not allowed the use of a sword. 
We may stab at the imaginary juror as he lies trembling on 
the ground, but Falstaff' s mighty weapon must be relegated 
to the property man. Leave such portrayal to the actor. 
Elocution calls for no properties. 

4. Where a personation occurs within a personation, the 
speaker is not allowed to drift from one into the other. The 
subordinate one is to be spoken in the manner in which the 
principal personation is characterized. In the selection, 
"The Old Surgeon's Story," by Eleanor C. Donnelly, an 
old surgeon tells of a youth's interview with his mother. 
In rendering this selection, it would be ridiculous for the 
reciter to use the tones of voice of the mother or child. 
The old surgeon is the one who speaks, even where he brings 
in the direct words of the mother and child. His personality 
can not be lost sight of during the entire selection. It is 
the prominent character. Assuming the voice or action of 
any other party would be a mistaken interpretation of the 
poem. 

GENERAL EXAMPLES 

From 1b am let Act III. 

Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly 
on the tongue : but if you mouth it, as many of your players do, I- had 
as lief the town-crier spoke my lines. Nor, do not saw the air too much 
with your hand, thus; but use all gently: for in the wexy torrent, tem- 
pest, and, as I may say, whirlwind of your passion you must acquire 



Personation. 203 

and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness. O, it offends 
me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion 
to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings, who for 
the most part, are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb-shows 
and noise. I could have such a fellow whipped for o'erdoing Terma- 
gant; it out-herods Herod: pray you, avoid it. Be not too tame neither, 
but let your own discretion be your tutor: suit the action to the word, 
the word to the action; with this special observance, that you o'erstep 
not the modesty of nature; for anything so overdone is from the purpose 
of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is, to hold 
as 'twere, the mirror up to Nature: to show virtue her own feature, 
scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form 
and pressure. Now this overdone, or come tardy of, though it make the 
unskilful laugh, cannot but make the judicious grieve; the censure of the 
which one must, in your allowance, o'erweigh a whole theatre of others. 
O, there be players, that I have seen play, and heard others praise, 
and that highly, not to speak it profanely, that, neither having the 
accent of Christians, nor the gait of Christian, pagan, nor Turk, have 
so strutted and bellowed that I have thought some of Nature's journey- 
men had made men and not made them well, they imitated humanity 
so abominably. {Shakespeare) 

From /Hbt\ ITsaacs 

"Tell him to come now. Now — do you understand?" Then she 
added in a low tone, for my ear only, "I don't think they know it, I 
am dying. I shall be dead before to-night. Don't tell him that. 
Make him come now. John knows. Now go. I am tired. No — 
wait! Did he save the man's life?" 

"Yes: the man is safe and free in Thibet." 

"That was nobly done. Now go. You have always been kind 
to me and you love him. When you see me again, I shall be gone. 
When I am gone, put some flowers on me for friendship's sake. You 
have always been so kind. Good-bye, dear Mr. Griggs. Good-bye. 
God keep you." [F. MaHon Crawford) 

From Iking IRicbarD 1ffl. Act IV. 

King Richard. Now mark me how T will undo myself. 
I give this heavy weight from off my head, 
And this unwieldy scepter from off my hand, 
The pride of kingly sway from out my heart: 
With mine own tears I wash away my balm, 



204 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

With mine own hands I give away my crown, 
With mine own tongue deny my sacred state, 
With mine own breath release all duteous oaths: 
All pomp and majesty I do forswear: 
My manors, rents, and revenues, I forego: 
God pardon all oaths that are broke to me! 
God keep all vows unbroke are made to thee! 
Make me that nothing have, with nothing griev'd; 
And thou with all pleas'd, thou hast all achiev'd! 
I have no name, no title, 
No, not that name was given me at first, 
But 'tis usurp' d. 

O! that I were a mockery king of snow, 
Standing before the sun of Bolingbroke, 
To melt myself away in water drops ! {Shakespeare) 

From Zbc TLion of iff lanOcre 

At last, after many anxious and suspicious glances around him 
in every direction the knight ventured to raise the visor of his helmet 
so far as to make his features visible. Although his countenance 
bore all the signs of long and severe suffering, yet the extraordinary 
vivacity of his eyes testified of the fire which still glowed within his 
breast. For some moments he remained lost in thought, gazing fixed- 
ly upon the ruins; then a bitter smile passed over his lips, his head 
sank upon his breast, and he seemed intent upon something at his 
feet; at last a tear fell from either eye, as he thus spoke: 

"O my brave brothers in arms! these stones have been wetted with 
your noble blood, and here beneath my feet, you sleep the long sleep 
of death! But happy you who have left this troublous life in your 
country's cause, and without having seen our beloved Flanders in bond- 
age. The blood of him to whom you gave the proud name of the 
Lion bedewed this ground along with yours; but, less fortunate than 
you, he still survives — an outcast, left to sigh over your silent graves, 
like a helpless woman, impotent for aught but tears." 

{Hendrick Conscience) 

From Dion anD tbe Sibyle 

Hark! did you hear the crash with which the fore-paws have come 
down? The steed seemed to be very near falling backward, but after 
a struggle of two or three seconds, recovered himself; and, O ye gods! 
just as you heard that ponderous thud with which he descended upon 
his fore-feet, the youth darted from the ground with a spring like his 
first, and he is now on the brute's back as before. He stoops to the 



Personation. 205 

horse's neck ; he has caught the bridle in his teeth, and lifts that brave, 
clear face again. Listen to the multitude ! Oh how the euge, euge, 
thunders from a hundred thousand sympathetic voices. The fell 
beast of a horse seems astonished. And lo! now he leaps from the 
ground with all four feet at the same time. Lo! the horse seems to 
have ascertained that he who has this day mounted him is worthy of 
his service; do you hear the tread of his hoofs? Faster and faster 
rushes the steed, always restrained by the outer torch, which is brought 
near his head, while the inner is held further to the rear. His sides are 
flecked with foam. The pace grows too rapid for a short curve, and 
the steed is now guided straight for the western opening in the arena. 
They are gone; and again hark! Is not that shout like the roar of 
waters on a storm beaten shore, as a hundred thousand men proclaim 
the success of a generous and brave youth, who could face the chance 
of being torn limb from limb in order to give a poor slave like me, 
condemned to a frightful death, his life and his liberty, a home and 
a future? (Miles Gerald Keon) 

From XTbe Qbyeeey 

With speed Telemachus obeys, and flies 

Where piled in heaps the royal armor lies; 

Four brazen helmets, eight refulgent spears, 

And four broad bucklers to his sire he bears: 

At once in brazen panoply they shone, 

At once each servant braced his armor on; 

Around their king a faithful guard they stand, 

While yet each shaft flew deathful from his hand, 

Chief after chief expired at every wound, 

And swell'd the bleeding mountain on the ground. 

Soon as his store of flying fates was spent, 

Against the wall he set the bow unbent. 

The hero stands oppress' d with mighty woe, 

On every side he sees the labor grow: 

"Oh cursed event! and oh unlook'd for aid! 

Melanthius or the women have betray' d — 

Oh my dear son!" — The father with a sigh 

Then ceased: the filial virtue made reply: 

"Falsehood is folly, and 'tis just to own 

The fault committed: this was mine alone; 

My haste neglected yonder door to bar, 

And hence the villain has suppled their war." (Pope) 



CHAPTER XVI. 



Gone Color 

The power of some painters is so great, that by one 
stroke of the brush, they can change the nature of a picture. 
They can convert a dismal scene into a smiling one, a weep- 
ing into a laughing child. 

We can as quickly and completely color an emotion by 
means of vocal quality. Faure tells us, that "the speaker's 
palette is as rich and varied as that of the painter. Be- 
sides its lights and shadows, its broken tones and brilliant 
colors, it possesses infinite varieties of rhythm and timbre 
that may be combined to produce endless effects. " 

In order to do this, we must color the words to fit the thought 
they express, we must make the sound "seem an echo to 
the sense." 

The following from Moore's "Puck The Fairy," can only 
be justly rendered in a light, jaunty, delicate manner cor- 
responding with its mirthful flow. 

To a miser's bed, where he snoring slept 

And dreamt of his cash, I slyly crept: 

Chink, chink o'er his pillow like money I rang, 

And he waked to catch — but away I sprang, 

Singing, I am the sprite 

Of the merry midnight, 

Who laugh at weak mortals, and love the moon-light! 



Tone Color. 207 

Observe how inappropriate the bright, gay colors of the 
former would be to express the following from "The Home- 
less Poor/' 

There black waters in their luring silence 
Under loathsome ashes crawl and creep, 
There the rats and vermin herd together, 
There God's poor ones sometimes come to sleep. 

In slow darkness creeps the dismal river 
From its depths looks up a sinful rest, 
Many a weary, baffled, hopeless wanderer 
Has it drawn into its treacherous breast. 

{Adelaide A. Procter) 

This cheerless picture requires vocal colors sombre as 
"the dismal river. " 

All writers of merit since Homer's day have understood 
the charm and potency of words whose sound echoes their 
sense. Dante acknowledges this when he says, 

Could I command rough rhymes and hoarse, to suit 
That hole of sorrow, o'er which every rock 
His firm abutment rears, then might the vein 
Of fancy rise full springing. 

This desire of accommodating the sound to the sense has 
given birth to many words whose sound corresponds, resembles, 
or suggests the thing signified. 

Hence Tone Color embraces not only correspondence 
of sound and sense, but also resemblance and suggest- 
iveness. Among the following words may be found examples 
of each. 

Gush, whirl, cool, moan, whirring, slender, rugged, 
thunder, rough, shriek, ripple, sigh, cackle, weary, jar, 
click, clash, clink, tick, clang, rumble, clatter, boom, tinkle 
bang, flutter, dash, grumble, clack, growl, clap, croak, roar, 
hiss, shiver, chirp, rustle, twitter, patter, linger, whizz, buzz, 
murmur, splash, chuckle, crash. 

Pope, by introducing words of this nature, artfully imi- 
tates the sound made by a bowstring in delivering an arrow. 



208 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

The string let fly, 
Twang'd short and sharp like the shrill swallows cry. 

In his translation of the Iliad, he imitates the felling 
of trees thus: 

Loud sounds the axe, redoubling strokes on strokes, 
On all sides round the forest hurls her oaks 
Headlong. Deep echoing groan the thickets brown, 
Then rustling, crackling, crashing thunder down. 

Pope again says, 

When the tide rushes from her rumbling caves 
The rough rock roars; tumultuous boil the waves. 

The efforts of a dull author are thus suggested by the 
same poet: 

Just writes to make his barrenness appear, 
And strains from hard-bound brains eight lines a year. 
Shakespeare says very delicately of queen Mab, 

She comes 
In shape not bigger than agate stone. . . 
Drawn by a team of little atomies : . . . . 
Her whip of cricket bone, the lash of film. 

He says again, 

The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums 
Hath rung night's yawning peal. 

The effect which certain words, in the foregoing examples, 
produce, must be attributed to their vowel and consonant 
colors. Certain sounds are expressive of certain emotions. 
Sad strains of music will affect us with an "ecstasy of woe" 
akin to that awakened by the artistic recitation of a pathetic 
poem. 

Sherman says, "There is one particular set of sounds 
employed in groans, another in murmurs of pleasure or ap- 
plause. It is clear that by the use of syllables or sounds 
from the one set or the other, the mind of the reader may 
be affected through the suggestion of the respective emotion, 
and the author's meaning as contained in his words greatly 
strengthened and intensified. " 



Tone Color. 209 

When the thought is lively and sparkling, hard conso- 
nants and heavy vowels will be in the minority; but liquid 
consonants and light vowels will be scarce when the thought 
is more serious and vigorous. 

Weighty subjects usually depress the voice and are ex- 
pressed in words containing fuller vowel colors. This is 
the reason we find it easier to pronounce some words in a 
low, others in a high pitch; e. g., toll, ring. 

Professor Tolman gave a very elaborate classification 
of vowel and consonant colors in the March number of the 
Andover Review, 1887. The vowels at the bottom of his 
scale, 00 (wood, pull), o" (gore), 00 (gloom,) aw (awe), 
etc., he says "are peculiarly fitted to express solemnity, 
awe, horror, and deep grief, also slowness of motion, and 
extreme or oppressive greatness of size." 

The vowels he has at the top of the scale, T (little) , e (met) . 
a (mat), etc., are used especially in words expressing un- 
controllable joy and delight, excessive gayety, triviality, 
rapid movement, delicacy, and physical littleness." 

"The surd mutes, p, k, t, express boldness, precipitation, 
unexpectedness, vigor, determination, explosive passion, 
and forcible and startling effects of all kinds. They must 
be the initial consonants of accented syllables to have 
their full expressional value." "Z and zh are rich, pleasant 
colors, as in easy, luxurious, azure, pleasure. L and r smooth, 
especially /, express above all others, softness, smoothness, 
lingering love and longing. " 

We must never hope to find whole poems strongly 
colored. Nor would such monotony be desirable. Only 
the emphatic parts receive appropriate tints. One word may 
give life and hue to a whole sentence. We should imitate 
the authors and not distribute light and shade too heavily. 

Complete control of Tone Color is necessary for the pro- 
duction of artistic results. 



210 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

"When loud surges lash the distant shore, 

The hoarse, rough verse should like the torrent roar." 

How much more effective will not ''the hoarse, rough verse" 
be if delivered in a concordant voice ! 

"Soft is the strain when zephyr gently blows 

And the smooth stream in smoother numbers flows. 

And so should the voice flow in soft, persuasive tones en- 
hancing and impressing the author's beauties. 

GENERAL EXAMPLES 
From Zbe temple ot Jame 

O'er the wide prospect as I gazed around, 

Sudden I heard a wild promiscuous sound, 

Like broken thunders that at a distance roar, 

Or billows murmuring on the hollow shore. 

Then gazing up, a glorious pile beheld, 

Whose tow'ring summit ambient clouds concealed* 

High on a rock of ice the structure lay, 

Steep its ascent, and slipp'ry was the way; 

The wondrous rock like Parian marble shone, 

And seemed, to distant sight, of solid stone. {Pope) 

From Ibell Canto IX. 

And now there came o'er the perturbed waves 
Loud-crashing, terrible, as if of a wind 
Impetuous, from conflicting vapours sprung, 
That 'gainst some forest driving all its might 
Plucks off the branches, beats them down and hurls 
Afar; then onward passing proudly sweeps 
Its whirlwind rage, while beasts and shepherds fly. 

{Gary's Dante) 

From /ilMfceummer IRigbt's Dream] Act II. 

Fairies' Song. 
I. Fai. You spotted snakes, with double tongue, 
Thorny hedge-hogs, be not seen, 



Tone Color. 21 

Newts, and blind-worms, do not wrong; 
Come not near our fairy queen. 
Chorus. 
Philomel with melody, 
Sing now your sweet lullaby: 
Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby: 
Never harm, 
Nor spell nor charm, 
Come our lovely lady nigh; 
So, good night, with lullaby. 
II. Fai. Weaving spiders come not near 
Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence; 
Beetles black, approach not near: 
Worm, nor snail, do no offence. (Shakespeare) 

From ©£>£6SeE 

Two craggy rocks projecting to the main, 
The roaring winds temptestuous rage restrain; 
Within, the waves in softer murmurs glide, 
And ships secure without their halsers ride. 

(Pope's Translation) 

From ftlcranOet'e ffeast 

Now strike the golden lyre again; 

A louder yet, and yet a louder strain, 

Break his bands of sleep asunder 

And rouse him like a rattling peal of thunder. 

Hark, hark, the horrid sound 

Has raised up his head; 

As awaked from the dead, 

And amazed, he stares around r 

Revenge, Revenge, Timotheus cries, 

See the Furies arise; 

See the snakes that they rear 

How they hiss in their hair, 
And the sparkles that flash from their eyes! (Dry den) 

From /ifoacbetb Act IV. 

For a charm of powerful trouble 

Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. 

Double double toil and trouble, 

Fire burn and cauldron bubble. (Shakespeare) 



Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 
From Zbc temple of ffame 

But straight the direful trump of slander sounds; 
Through the big dome the doubling thunder bounds: 
Loud as the burst of cannon rends the skies, 
The dire report through every region flies, 
In every ear incessant rumors rung, 
And gathering scandals grew on every tongue. 
From the black trumpet's rusty concave broke 
Sulphureous flames and clouds of rolling smoke; 
The poisonous vapour blots the purple skies, 
And withers all before it as it flies. (Pope) 

From XallalRoofcb 

Loud rings the ponderous ram against the walls; 

Now shake the ramparts, now a buttress falls, 

But still no breach — "Once more, one mighty swing 

Of all your beams, together thundering!" 

There — the wall shakes — the shouting troops exult, 

"Quick, quick discharge your weightiest catapult 

Right on that spot, and Neksheb is our own!" 

'Tis done — the battlements come crashing down, 

And the huge wall, by that stroke riven in two, 

Yawning, like some old crater, rent anew, 

Shows the dim desolate city smoking through. (Moore) 

From H Song for St. Cecilia's S>a£ 

The trumpet's loud clangor 

Excites us to arms 

With shrill notes of anger 

And mortal alarms. 

The double double double beat 

Of the thundering drum 

Cries, hark! the foes come; 

Charge, charge, 'tis too late to retreat. (Dry den) 

From £be ^Fairies of Iftnocfesbegowna 

In the noon of night, o'er the stormy hills, 
The fairy minstrels play, 






Tone Color. 213 

And the strain, replete with fantastic dreams, 

On the wild gust flits away. 
Then the sleeper thinks, as the dreamful song 

On the blast to his slumber comes, 
That his nose as the church's spire is long, 

And, like its organ hums! 
And when they spread their filmy wings 

In the dim moon's waning ray, 
Strange meteors dance, and the glittering rills 

Seem show 'ring fiery spray, 
And deep when booms the solemn toll 

Of the distant cloister bells, 
The clang, and the clash, and the tambour roll 

Of their midnight music swells. (R. D. Williams) 

From Gbe IDirgin Abac's :fBanft 

Out burst the pealing thunder, and the lightning leap'd about; 

And rushing with his watery war, the tempest gave a shout; 

And that vessel from a mountain wave came down with thund'ring 

shock; 
And her timbers flew like scatter'd spray on Inchidony's rock. 
Then loud from all that guilty crew one shriek rose wild and high, 
But the angry surge swept over them, and hush'd their gurgling cry; 
And with a hoarse exulting tone the tempest pass'd away, 
And down, still chafing from their strife, th' indignant waters lay. 

(/. /. Callanan) 

From H /Hbemorg 

Low in the west gleam after gleam 
Glowed faint and fainter, till the last 
Made their dying day a living dream, 
To last as long as life shall last. 

And in the arches of the trees 
The wild birds slept with folded wing, 
And e'en the lips of the summer breeze, 
That sang all day, had ceased to sing. 

And all was silent save the rill 
That rippled round the lilies' feet, 
And sang, whilst stillness grew more still 
To listen to the murmur sweet. 



214 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

And now and then it surely seemed 
The little stream was laughing low, 
As if its sleepy wavelets dreamed 
Such dreams as only children know. 

Sweet sang the stream as on it pressed, 

As sorrow sings a heart to sleep: 

As mother sings one child to rest, 

And for the dead one still will weep. {Father Ryan) 



. SELECTIONS 



Selections. 217 

H IRigbt in 5une 



I. 

Rich is the scent of clover in the air, 
And from the woodbine, moonlight and the dew 
Draw finer essence than the daylight knew; 
Low murmurs and an incense everywhere! 
Who spoke? Ah! surely in the garden there 
A subtile sound came from the purple crew 
That mount wistaria masts, and there's a clue 
Of some strange meaning in the rose-scent rare: 
Silence itself has voice in these June nights — 
Who spake? Why, all the air is full of speech 
Of God's own choir, all singing various parts; 
Be quiet and listen: hear — the very lights 
In yonder town, the waving of the beech, 
The maples' shades, — cry of the Heart of hearts! 

II. 
On such a night spoke raptured Juliet 
From out the balcon; and young Rosalind, 
Wandered in Arden like the April wind; 
And Jessica the bold Lorenzo met; 
And Perdita her silvered lilies set 
In some quaint vase, to scent the prince's mind 
With thoughts of her; and then did Jaques find 
Sad tales, and from them bitter sayings get. 
To all of these the silence sang their thought; 
To all of these it gave their thought new grace: 
Soprano of the lily, roses' lone 
And passionate contralto, oak bough's bass — 
All sing the thought we bring them, be it fraught 
With the sad love of lovers' of God's own. 

III. 
This sweetness and this silence fill my soul 
With longing and dull pain, that seem to break 
Some cord within my heart, and sudden take 
Life out of life: and then there sounds the roll 
Of wheels upon the road, the distant toll 
Of bells within the town: these rude things make 



218 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Life wake to life; and all the longings shake 
Their airy wings, — swift fly the pain and dole. 
Again the silence and the mute sounds sweet 
Begin their speaking: I alone am still. 
What are you singing, O you starry flowers 
Upon the jasmine? — "Void and incomplete." 
And you, clematis? — "Void the joys that fill 
The heart of love until His Heart is ours. " 

IV. 
O choir of silence, without noise of word ! 
A human voice would break the mystic spell 
Of wavering shades and sounds; the lily bell 
Here at my feet sings melodies unheard; 
And clearer than the voice of any bird, — 
Yes, even than that lark which loves so well, 
Hid in the hedges, all the world to tell 
In trill and triple notes that May has stirred. 
"O Love complete!" soft sings the mignonette; 
"O Heart of All" deep sighs the red, red rose; 
"O Heart of Christ!" the lily voices meet 
In fugue on fugue; and from the flag-edged, wet, 
Lush borders of the lake, the night wind blows 
. The tenor of the reeds — "Love, love complete." 

{Maurice F. Egaii) 

Speech JBetore XZhe Virginia Convention 

Mr. President: It is natural for man to indulge in the illusions of 
hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen 
to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this 
the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for 
liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those, who, hav- 
ing eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not the things which so nearly 
concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish 
of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know 
the worst and to provide for it. 

I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the 
lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future, but 
by the past; I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the 
British ministry for the last ten years, to justify those hopes with which 
gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the house? 
Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately re- 



Selections. 219 

ceived? Trust it not, sir: it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer 
not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves, how this 
gracious reception of our petition, comports with those warlike pre- 
parations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets 
and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we 
shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled, that force must be called 
in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These 
are the implements of war and subjugation ; the last arguments to which 
kings resort. 

I ask, gentlemen, what means this martial- array, if its purpose be 
not to force us into submission? Can gentlemen assign any other 
possible motive for it? Has Great Britain any enemy in this quarter 
of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? 
No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us; they can be meant for 
no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains, 
which the British ministry have been so long forging. And what 
have we to oppose to them? Shall we try arguments? Sir, we have 
been trying that for the last ten years. Have we any thing new to 
offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in 
every light in which it was capable; but it has been all in vain. 

Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms 
shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, 
I beseech you, deceive ourselves longer. Sir, we have done everything 
that could be done, to avert the storm which is now coming on. We 
have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have 
prostrated ourselves at the foot of the throne, and implored its inter- 
position to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and parliament. 
Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced 
additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; 
and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne. 

In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace 
and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish 
to be free; if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privi- 
leges for which we have been so long contending; if we mean not basely 
to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, 
and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon, until the 
glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight! I 
repeat it, sir, we must fight!! An appeal to arms, and the God of 
Hosts, is all that is left us. 

They tell us, sir, that we are weak ; unable to cope with so formidable 
an adversary- But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next 
week, or the next year? Will it be, when we are totally disarmed, and 
when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we 



220 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the 
means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs, and 
hugging the delusive phantom of hope until our enemies shall have 
bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper 
use of those means, which the God of nature hath placed in our power. 

Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in 
such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force 
which our enemy can send against us. Besides, we shall not fight 
our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies 
of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. 

The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone, — it is to the active, the 
vigilant, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were 
base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. 
There is no retreat — but in submission and slavery. Our chains are 
forged. Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston. The 
war is inevitable — and let it come. I repeat it, sir, let it come. 

It is vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry peace, 
peace — but there is no peace. The war is actually begun. The next 
gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of re- 
sounding arms. 

Our brethren are already in the field. Why stand we here idle? 
What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so 
dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and 
slavery? Forbid it, Heaven. I know not what course others may take, 
but as for me — give me liberty, or give me death. {Patrick Henry) 

WiensVe ?lDDre66 to tbe /lfc<m ot iRome 

Friends, 
I come not here to talk. Ye know too well 
The story of our thralldom: — we are slaves! 
The bright sun rises to his course, and lights 
A race of slaves! He sets, and his last beam 
Falls on a slave; — not such as, swept along 
By the full tide of power, the conqueror leads 
To crimson glory and undying fame; 
But base, ignoble slaves — slaves to a horde 
Of petty tyrants, feudal despots, lords, 
Rich in some dozen paltry villages — 
Strong in some hundred spearmen — only great 
In that strange spell, a name. Each hour, dark fraud 
Or open rapine, or protected murder, 



Selections. 

Cries out against them. But this very day, 

An honest man, my neighbor — there he stands — 

Was struck — struck like a dog, by one who wore 

The badge of Ursini; because, forsooth, 

He tossed not high his ready cap in air, 

Nor lifted up his voice in servile shouts, 

At sight of that great ruffian. Be we men, 

And suffer such dishonor? men and wash not 

The stain away in blood? Such shames are common. 

I have known deeper wrongs. I, that speak to you, 

I had a brother once, a gracious boy, 

Full of gentleness, of calmest hope, 

Of sweet and quiet joy; there was the look 

Of heaven upon his face, which limners give 

To the beloved disciple. How I loved 

That gracious boy! Younger by fifteen years, 

Brother at once and son! He left my side, 

A summer bloom on his fair cheeks, a smile 

Parting his innocent lips. In one short hour, 

The pretty, harmless boy was slain! I saw 

The corse, the mangled corse, and then I cried 

For vengeance. Rouse ye Romans! rouse, ye slaves: 

Have ye brave sons? Look in the next fierce brawl 

To see them die. Have ye fair daughters? Look 

To see them live, torn from your arms, disdained, 

Dishonored; and if ye dare call for justice, 

Be answered by the lash, 

Yet, this is Rome, 
That sat on her seven hills, and from her throne 
Of beauty, ruled the world! Yet, we are Romans. 
Why, in that elder day. to be a Roman 
Was greater than a king! And, once again — 
Hear me, ye walls that echoed to the tread 
Of either Brutus! — once again, I swear, 
The Eternal City shall be free! (Mitford) 

H Beatb 

Crushed with a burden of woe, 
Wrecked in the tempest of sin: 
Death came, and two lips murmured low, 
"Ah! once I was white as the snow, 



Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

In the happy and pure long ago; 

But they say God is sweet — is it so? 

Will He let a poor wayward one in — 

In where the innocent are?" 

Ah! justice stands guard at the gate; 

Does it mock at a poor sinner's fate? 

Alas! I have fallen so far! 

Oh! God! Oh! my God! 'tis too late! 

I have fallen as falls a lost star: 

"The sky does not miss the gone gleam, 
But my heart, like the lost star, can dream 
Of the sky it has fall'n from. Nay! 
I have wandered too far — far away ? 
Oh! would that my mother were here; 
Is God like a mother? Has He 
Any love for a sinner like me?" 
Her face wore the wildness of woe — 
Her words, the wild tones of despair; 
Ah! how can a heart sink so low? 
How a face that was once bright and fair, 
Can be furrowed and darkened with care? 
Wild rushed the hot tears from her eyes, 
From her lips rushed the wildest of sighs, 
Her poor heart was broken; but then 
Her God was far gentler than men. 

A voice whispered low at her side, 

"Child! God is more gentle than men, 

He watches by passion's dark tide, 

He sees a wreck drifting — and then 

He beckons with hand and with voice, 

And He sees the poor wreck floating in 

To the haven on Mercy's bright shore, 

And He whispers the whisper of yore: 

"The angels of heaven rejoice 

O'er the sinner repenting of sin'" 

* * * # 

And a silence came down for awhile, 
And her lips they were moving in prayer, 
And her face it wore just such a smile 
As, perhaps, it was oft wont to wear, 



Selections. 223 

Ere the heart of the girl knew a guile, 
Ere the soul of the girl knew the wile, 
That had led her to passion's despair. 

Death's shadows crept over her face, 

And softened the hard marks of care; 

Repentance had won a last grace, 

And the Angel of Mercy stood there. {Ryan) 

/nbatc nntonv'B ©ration 

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; 
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. 
The evil that men do lives after them; 
The good is oft interred with their bones; 
So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus 
Hath told you, Caesar was ambitious; 
If it were so, it was a grievous fault; 
And grievously hath Caesar answered it. 

Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest — 

(For Brutus is an honorable man, 

So are they all, all honorable men) — 

Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral. 

He was my friend, faithful and just to me: 

But Brutus says he was ambitious; 

And Brutus is an honorable man. 

He hath brought many captives home to Rome, 

Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill: 

Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? 

When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept: 
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff — 
Yet Brutus says, he was ambitious; 
And Brutus is an honorable man. 
You all did see that, on the Lupercal, 
I thrice presented him a kingly crown, 
Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition? 
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; 
And, sure, he is an honorable man. 

I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke, 
But here I am to speak what I do know. 
You all did love him once, not without cause; 



224 Elements of Expression, Vocai, and Physical. 

What cause withholds you then to mourn for him? 
O judgment, thou art fled to brutish beasts, 
And men have lost their reason. — Bear with me: 
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, 
And I must pause till it come back to me. 

But yesterday the word of Caesar might 

Have stood against the world; now lies he there, 

And none so poor to do him reverence. 

masters, if I were disposed to stir 
Your hearts to mutiny and rage, 

1 should do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong, 
Who, you all know, are honorable men: 

I will not do them wrong; I rather choose 
To wrong the dead, to wrong myself, and you 
Than I will wrong such honorable men. 

But here's a parchment, with the seal of Caesar; 

I found it in his closet, 'tis his will: 

Let but the commons hear his testament, 

Which, pardon me, I do not mean to read, 

And they would go and kiss dead Caesar's wounds, 

And dip their napkins in his sacred blood: 

Yea, beg a hair of him for memory, 

And, dying, mention it within their wills, 

Bequeathing it as a rich legacy, 

Unto their issue. — 

If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. 

You all do know this mantle; I remember 

The first time ever Caesar put it on; 

'Twas on a summer's evening, in his tent, — 

That day he overcame the Nervii: — 

Look, in this place, ran Cassius' dagger through: 

See what a rent the envious Casca made: 

Through this the well-beloved Brutus stabb'd; 

And, as he pluck' d his cursed steel away, 

Mark how the blood of Caesar followed it, 

As rushing out of doors to be resolv'd 

If Brutus, so unkindly knock' d, or no. 

For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel: 
Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him. 
This was the most unkindest cut of all: 
For when the noble Caesar saw him stab, 



Selections. 225 

Ingratitude, more strong than traitors' arms, 
Quite vanquished him: then burst his mighty heart 
And, in his mantle muffling up his face, 
Kven at the base of Pompey's statua, 
Which all the while ran blood, great Caesar fell. 

O, what a fall was there, my countrymen. 

Then I, and you, and all of us fell down, 

Whilst bloody treason flourish' d over us. — 

O, now you weep; and, I perceive, you feel 

The dint of pity: these are gracious drops; 

Kind souls. What, weep you, when you but behold 

Our Caesar's vesture wounded? Look you here. 

Here is himself, marr'd as you see, with traitors. — 

Good friends, sweet friends, let me not stir you up 

To such a sudden flood of mutiny. 

They that have done this deed are honorable: 

What private griefs they have, alas, I know not, 

That made them do it: they are wise and honorable; 

And will, no doubt, with reasons answer you. 

I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts. 

I am no orator, as Brutus is; ' 

But; as you know me all, a plain, blunt man, 

That love my friend : and that they know full well 

That gave me public leave to speak of him; 

For I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth, 

Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech 

To stir men's blood. I only speak right on; 

I tell you that which you yourselves do know; 

Show you sweet Caesar's wounds, poor dumb mouths, 

And bid them speak for me; but were I Brutus, 

And Brutus Antony, there were an Antony 

Would ruffle up your spirits, and put a tongue 

In every wound of Caesar that should move 

The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny. {Shakespeare} 

JBreafc, break, break, 

On thy cold gray stones, O Sea! 
And I would that my tongue could utter 

The thoughts that arise in me. 
O well for the fisherman's boy, 



226 Elements op Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

That he shouts with his sister at play! 
O well for the sailor lad, 

That he sings in his boat on the bay. 

And the stately ships go on 

To their haven under the hill; 
But O for the touch of a vanished hand, 

And the sound of a voice that is still ! 
Break, break, break, 

At the foot of thy crags, O Sea! 
But the tender grace of a day that is dead 

Will never come back to me. {Tennyson) 

Zbe Cburcb 

PART I. 

There is not, and there never was, on this earth, a work of human 
policy so well deserving of examination as the Roman Catholic Church. 
The history of that Church joins together the two great ages of human 
civilization. No other instituton is left standing which carries the 
mind back to the times when the smoke of sacrifice rose from the 
Pantheon, and when camelopards and tigers bounded in the Flavian 
amphitheater. 

The proudest royal houses are but of yesterday when compared 
with the line of the Supreme Pontiffs. That line we trace back in 
an unbroken series from the Pope who crowned Napoleon, in the nine- 
teenth century, to the Pope who crowned Pepin in the eighth ; and far 
beyond the time of Pepin the august dynasty extends, till it is lost 
in the twilight of fable. The republic of Venice came next in antiquity. 
But the republic of Venice was modern when compared with the Pa- 
pacy; and the republic of Venice is gone and the Papacy remains. 
The Papacy remains not in decay, not a mere antique, but full of life 
and youthful vigor. 

The Catholic Church is still sending forth to the farthest ends 
of the world missionaries as zealous as those who landed in Kent with 
Augustin; and still confronting hostile kings with the same spirit with 
which she confronted Attila. The number of her children is greater 
than in any former age. Her acquisitions in the New World have more 
than compensated her for what she has lost in the Old. Her spir- 
itual ascendency extends over the vast countries which lie between 
the plains of Missouri and Cape Horn; countries which, a century 
hence, may not improbably contain a population as large as that which 



Selections. 227 

now inhabits Europe. The members of her community are certainly 
not fewer than one hundred and fifty millions; and it will be difficult 
to show that all the other Christian sects united amount to a hundred 
and twenty millions. Nor do we see any sign which indicates that 
the term of her long dominion is approaching. 

She saw the commencement of all the governments and of all the 
ecclesiastical establishments that now exist in the world; and we feel 
no assurance that she is not destined to see the end of them all. She 
was great and respected before the Saxon had set foot on Britain — 
before the Frank had passed the Rhine — when Grecian eloquence 
still flourished at Antioch — when idols were still worshipped in the 
temple of Mecca. And she may still exist in undiminished vigor 
when some traveller from New Zealand shall in the midst of a vast 
solitude, take his stand on a broken arch of London Bridge to sketch 
the ruins of St. Paul's. (Macaulay) 

Gbe Cbutcb 

PART IT. 

Is it not strange that in the year 1799 even sagacious observers 
should have thought that at length the hour of the Church of Rome 
had come? An infidel power ascendant — the Pope dying in captivity 
— the most illustrious prelates of France living in a foreign country 
on Protestant alms — the noblest edifices which the munificence of 
former ages had consecrated to the worship of God turned into temples 
of victory, or into banqueting-houses for political societies, or into 
Theo-philanthropic chapels — such signs might well be supposed to 
indicate the approaching end of that long domination. 

But the end was not yet. Again doomed to death, the milk-white 
hind was fated not to die. Even before the funeral rites had been per- 
formed over the ashes of Pius the Sixth, a great reaction had com- 
menced, which, after the lapse of more than forty years, appears to 
be still in progress. Anarchy had its day. A new order of things 
rose out of confusion — new dynasties, new laws, new titles; and amidst 
them emerged the ancient religion. The Arabs had a fable that the 
great pyramid was built by the antediluvian kings, and alone of all 
the works of men, bore the weight of the flood. 

Such was the fall of the Papacy. It had been buried under the 
great inundation, but its deep foundations had remained unshaken; 
and when the waters abated, it appeared alone amidst the ruins of 
a world which had passed away. The republic of Holland was gone, 
and the empire of Germany, and the Great Council of Venice, and the 



228 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

old Helvetian League, and the House of Bourbon, and the Parliaments 
and aristocracy of France. 

Europe was full of young creations — a French empire, a kingdom 
of Italy, a Confederation of the Rhine. Nor had the late events 
affected only the territorial limits and political institutions. The 
distribution of property, the composition and spirit of society, had, 
through great part of Catholic Europe, undergone a complete change. 
But the unchangeable Church was still there. (Macaulay) 

Soggartb Hroon 

(These lines, full of deep tenderness, graphically and touchingly 
depict the reverential and affectionate feeling that, through all trials 
and long generations, has existed in the heart of the Irish peasant for 
his Soggarth Aroon — priest dear.) 

Am I the slave they say, 

Soggarth Aroon, 
Since you did show the way 

Soggarth Aroon? 
Their slave no more to be, 
While they would work with me, 
Ould Ireland's slavery, 

Soggarth Aroon? 
Why not her poorest man, 

Soggarth Aroon? 
Try and do all he can, 

Soggarth Aroon? 
Her commands to fulfill, 
Of his own heart and will, 
Side by side with you still, 

Soggarth Aroon? 
Loyal and brave to you, 

Soggarth Aroon; 
Yet be no slave to you, 

Soggarth Aroon; 
Nor, out of fear to you, 
Stand up so near to you — 
Och! out of fear to you, 

Soggarth Aroon. 
Who, in the winter's night, 

Soggarth Aroon, 
When the could blast did bite, 

Soggarth Aroon, 



Selections. 229 

Came to my cabin-door, 
And on my earthen flure 
Knelt by me, sick and poor, 

Soggarth Aroon. 
Who on the marriage-day, 

Soggarth Aroon, 
Made the poor cabin gay, 

Soggarth Aroon. 
And did both laugh and sing, 
Making our hearts to ring, 
At the poor christening, 

Soggarth Aroon? 
Who as friend only met, 

Soggarth Aroon, 
Never did flout me yet, 

Soggarth Aroon? 
And, when my eye was dim, 
Gave while his eye did brim 
What I should give to him, 

Soggarth Aroon? 
Och, you and only you, 

Soggarth Aroon, 
And for this I was true to you, 

Soggarth Aroon; 
In love they'll never shake, 
When, for ould Ireland's sake 
We a true part did take, 

Soggarth Aroon. (Banim) 

Spartacus to tbe GlaDiators 

It had been a day of triumph in Capua. Lentulus, returning with 
victorious eagles, had amused the populace with the sports of the 
amphitheatre, to an extent hitherto unknown, even in that luxurious 
city. The shouts of revelry had died away; the roar of the lion had 
ceased; the last loiterer had retired from the banquet., and the lights 
in the palace of the victor were extinguished. 

The moon, piercing the tissue of fleecy clouds, silvered the dew- 
drop on the corselet of the Roman sentinel, and tipped the dark waters 
of Volturnus with wavy, tremulous light. It was a night of holy calm, 
when the zephyr sways the young spring leaves, and whispers among 
the hollow reeds its dreamy music. No sound was heard but the last 



230 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

sob of some weary wave, telling its story to the smooth pebbles of the 
beach, and then all was still as the breast when the spirit has departed. 
In the deep recesses of the amphitheatre a band of gladiators were 
crowded together, — the muscles still knotted with the agony of 
conflict, the foam upon their lips, — and the scowl of battle yet linger- 
ing upon their brows, — when Spartacus, rising in the midst of that 
grim assemblage, thus addressed them: 

"Ye call me chief, and ye do well to call him chief, who, for twelve 
long years, has met upon the arena every shape of man or beast that 
the broad empire of Rome could furnish, and yet has never lowered his 
arm. And if there be one among you who can say that ever, in public 
fight or private brawl, my actions did belie my tongue, let him step 
forth and say it. If there be three in all your throng dare face me 
on the bloody sand, let them come on. 

"Yet, I was not always thus, a hired butcher, a savage chief of 
savage men. My father was a reverent man, who feared great Jupiter 
and brought to the rural deities his offerings of fruits and flowers. 
He dwelt among the vine- clad rocks and olive groves at the foot of 
Helicon. My early life ran quiet as the brook by which I sported. 
I was taught to prune the vine, to tend the flock; and then, at noon, 
I gathered my sheep beneath the shade, and played upon the shepherd's 
flute. I had a friend, the son of our neighbor; we led our flocks to the 
same pasture, and shared together our rustic meal. 

"One evening, after the sheep were folded, and we were all seated 
beneath the myrtle that shaded our cottage, my grandsire, an old 
man, was telling of Marathon and Leuctra, and how in ancient times 
a little band of Spartans, in a defile of the Mountains, withstood a 
whole army. I did not then know what war meant; but my cheeks 
burned, I knew not why ; and I clasped the knees of that venerable man, 
till my mother, parting the hair from off my brow, kissed my throbbing 
temples, and bade me go to rest, and think no more of those old tales 
and savage wars. 

"That very night the Romans landed on our shore, and the clash of 
steel was heard within our quiet vale. I saw the breast that had nourished 
me trampled by the iron hoof of the war-horse; the bleeding body 
of my father flung amid the blazing rafters of our dwelling. 

"To-day I killed a man in the arena, and when I broke his helmet 
clasps, behold, it was my friend. He knew me, — smiled faintly, — 
gasped, — and died. The same sweet smile that I had marked upon 
his face, when, in adventurous boyhood, we scaled some lofty cliff to 
pluck the first ripe grapes, and bear them home in childish triumph. 

"I told the Pretor he was my friend, noble and brave,, and I begged 
his body, that I might burn it upon the funeral-pile, and mourn over 



Selections. 231 

it. Ay, on my knees, amid the dust and blood of the arena, I begged 
that boon, while all the Roman maids and matrons and those holy 
virgins they call Vestals, and the rabble, shouted in mockery, deeming 
it rare sport, forsooth, to see Rome's fiercest gladiator turn pale, and 
tremble like a very child, before that piece of bleeding clay; but the 
Pretor drew back as if I were pollution, and sternly said : 

"Let the carrion rot. There are no noble men but Romans. And 
he, deprived of funeral rites, must wander a helpless ghost, beside the 
waters of that sluggish river, and look — and look — and look in vain 
to the bright Blysian fields where dwell his ancestors and noble kindred. 
And so must you, and so must 1 die like dogs. 

"O Rome, Rome, thou hast been a tender nurse to me! Ay, thou 
hast given to that poor, gentle, timid shepherd lad, who never knew 
a harsher sound than a flute-note, muscles of iron, and heart of flint; 
taught him to drive the sword through rugged brass and plaited 
mail, and warm it in the marrow of his foe; to gaze into the glaring 
eyeballs of the fierce Numidian lion, even as a smooth-cheeked boy 
upon a laughing girl. And he shall pay thee back till thy yellow Tiber 
s red as frothing wine, and in its deepest ooze thy life-blood lies curdled. 

"Ye stand here now like giants, as ye are. The strength of brass 
is in your toughened sinews; but to-morrow some Roman Adonis, 
breathing sweet odors from his curly locks, shall come, and with his 
lily fingers pat your brawny shoulders, and bet his sesterces upon 
your blood. Hark! Hear ye yon lion roaring in his den? 'Tis three 
days since he tasted meat; but to-morrow he shall break his fast upon 
your flesh; and ye shall be a dainty meal for him. 

"If ye are brutes, then stand here like fat oxen waiting for the butch- 
er's knife; if ye are men, follow me. Strike down yon sentinel, and 
gain the mountain passes, and there do bloody work as did your sires 
at old Thermopylae. Is Sparta dead? Is the old Grecian spirit 
frozen in your veins, that ye do crouch and cower like base-born slaves, 
beneath your master's lash? O! comrades, warriors, Thracians, if 
we must fight, let us fight for ourselves; if we must slaughter, let us 
slaughter our oppressors; if we must die, let us die under the open sky, 
by the bright waters, in noble, honorable battle." (E. Kellogg) 

Sweet, blessed beads ! I would not part 

With one of you for richest gem 

That gleams in kingly diadem; 
Ye know the history of my heart. 



232 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

For I have told you every grief 
In all the days of twenty years, 
And I have moistened you with tears, 

And in your decades found relief. 

Ah! time has fled, and friends have failed. 
And joys have died; but in my needs 
Ye were my friends, my blessed beads! 

And ye consoled me when I wailed. 

For many and many a time, in grief, 
My weary fingers wandered round 
Thy circled chain, and always found 

In some Hail Mary sweet relief. 

How many a story you might tell 

Of inner life, to all unknown; 

I trusted you and you alone, 
But ah! ye keep my secrets well. 

Ye are the only chain I wear — 
A sign that I am but the slave, 
In life, in death, beyond the grave, 

Of Jesus and His Mother fair. (Ryan) 

36etore Dicfceburg 

While Sherman stood beneath the hottest fire, 
That from the lines of Vicksburg gleamed, 
And bomb-shells tumbled in their smoky gyre, 
And grape-shot hissed, and case-shot screamed; 
Back from the front there came 
Weeping and sorely lame, 
The merest child, the youngest face 
Man ever saw in such a fearful place. 

Stirling his tears, he limped his chief to meet; 

But when he paused and tottering stood, 

Around the circle of his little feet 

There spread a pool of bright, young blood. 
Shocked at this doleful case, 
Sherman cried, "Halt, front face. 
Who are you? Speak, my gallant boy." 
"A drummer, sir: — Fifth-fifth Illinois." 



Selections. 233 

"Are you not hit?" "That's nothing. Only 
Some cartridges' our men are out; 
And the foe press us." "But, my little friend — " 
"Don't mind me. Did you hear that shout? 

What if our men be driven; 

O, for the love of Heaven, 

Send to my Colonel, General dear." 

"But you?" "O, I shall easily find the rear." 

"I'll see to that," cried Sherman; and a drop, 
Angels might envy, dimmed his eye, 
As the boy, toiling towards the hill's hard top, 
Turned round, and with his shrill child's cry 

Shouted, "O, don't forget. 

We'll win the battle yet. 

But let our soldiers have some more, 

More cartridges, sir, — calibre fifty-four. " (Anon) 

Zbe Quarrel Scene trom Julius Caeear 

Enter Cassius, Trebonius, Titinius, Pindarus. 

Cas. Most noble brother, you have done me wrong. 

Bru. Judge me, you gods! Wrong I mine enemies? 
And if not so, how should I wrong a brother? 

Cas. Brutus, this sober form of yours hides wrongs; 
And when you do them, — 

Bru. Cassius, be content: 
Speak your griefs softly — I do know you well: — 
Before the eyes of both our armies here, 
Which should perceive nothing but love from us, 
Let us not wrangle: Bid them move away; 
Then in my tent, Cassius, enlarge your griefs, 
And I will give you audience. 

Cas. Pindarus, 
Bid your commanders lead their chargers off 
A little from this ground. (Exit Pindarus) 

Bru. Metellus, do the like : — (Exit MeteUus) 

And let no man 

Come to our tent, till we have done our conference. (Exeunt) 
Scene II. — The tent of Brutus. Enter Cassius and Brutus. 
Cas. That you have wrong' d me doth appear in this: 
You have condemn' d and noted Lucius Pella, 
For taking bribes here of the Sardinians; 
Wherein by letters, praying on his side, 



234 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Because I knew the man, were slighted off. 

Bru. You wrong'd yourself to write in such a case. 

Cas. In such a time as this, it is not meet 
That every nice offence should bear its comment. 

Bru. Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself 
Are much condemn'd to have an itching palm; 
To sell and mart your offices for gold 
To undeservers. 

Cas. I an itching palm? 
You know that you are Brutus that speak this, 
Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last. 

Bru. The name of Cassius honors this corruption, 
And chastisement doth therefore hide its head. 

Cas. Chastisement! 

Bru. Remember March — the ides of March remember! 
Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake? 
What villain touch' d his body, that did stab, 
And not for justice? What, shall one of us, 
That struck the foremost man of all the world, 
But for supporting robbers — shall we now 
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes, 
And sell the mighty space of our large honors 
For so much trash as may be grasped thus? 
I had rather be a dog and bay the moon, 
Than such a Roman. 

Cas. Brutus, bay not me; 
I'll not endure it: I am a soldier, I, 
Older in practice, abler than yourself 
To make conditions. 

Bru. Go to; you're not, Cassius. 

Cas. I am. 

Bru. I say you are not. 

Cas. Urge me no more: I shall forget myself: 
Have mind upon your health, tempt me no further. 

Bru. Away, slight man. 

Cas. Is't possible? 

Bru. Hear me, for I will speak. 
Must I give way and room to your rash choler? 
Shall I be frighted when a madman stares? 

Cas. Ye gods! ye gods! Must I endure all this? 

Bru. {Nearer) All this! ay, more. — Fret till your proud 
heart break. — 
Go, show your slaves how choleric your are, 



Selections 235 

And make your bondsmen tremble- Must I budge? 
Must I observe you? Must I stand and crouch 
Under your testy humor? By the gods, 
You shall digest the venom of your spleen, 
Though it do split you; for, from this day forth, 
I'll use you for my mirth — yea, for my laughter, 
When you are waspish. 

Cas. Is it come to this? 

Bru. You say you are a better soldier; 
Let it appear so; make your vaunting true, 
And it shall please me well; for mine own part, 
I shall be glad to learn of noble men. 

Cas. You wrong me every way ; you wrong me, Brutus; 
I said an older soldier, not a better: 
Did I say better? 

Bru. If you did, I care not. 

Cas. When Caesar lived, he durst not thus have moved me. 

Bru. Peace, peace; you durst not so have tempted him, 

Cas. I durst not? 

Bru. No. 

Cas. What, durst not tempt him? 

Bru. For your life you durst not. 

Cas. Do not presume too much upon my love; 
I may do that I shall be sorry for. 

Bru. You have done that you should be sorry for. 
There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats; 
For I am arm'd so strong in honesty, 
That they pass by me as the idle wind, 
Which I respect not. I did send to you 
For certain sums of gold, which you denied me; 
For I can raise no money by vile means; 
Ye gods ! I had rather coin my heart, 
And drop my blood, for drachms, than to wring 
From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash, 
By any indirection. I did send 
To you for gold to pay my legions, 
Which you denied me: was that done like Cassius? 
Should I have answer' d Caius Cassius so? 
When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous, 
To lock such rascal counters from his friends, 
Be ready, gods, with all your thunderbolts, 
Dash him to pieces. 

Cas. I denied you not. 



236 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Bru. You did. 

Cas. I did not: — He was but a fool 
That brought my answer back. — Brutus hath rived my heart; 
A friend should bear his friend's infirmities; 
But Brutus makes mine greater than they are. 

Bru. I do not, till you practise them on me. 

Cas. You love me not. 

Bru. I do not like your faults. 

Cas. A friendly eye could never see such faults. 

Bru. A flatterer's would not, though they do appear 
As huge as high Olympus. 

Cas. Come Antony, and young Octavius, come, 
Revenge yourselves alone on Cassius, 
For Cassius is aweary of the world: 
Hated by one he loves; braved by his brother; 
Check'd like a bondman: all his faults observed, 
Set in a note-book, learn' d and conn'd by rote, 
To cast into my teeth. Oh, I could weep 
My spirit from mine eyes. — There is my dagger, 
And here my naked breast; within, a heart 
Dearer than Plutus' mine, richer than gold: 
If that thou be'st a Roman, take it forth; 
I, that denied thee gold, will give my heart: 
Strike, as thou didst at Caesar; for I know, 
When thou didst hate him worst, thou lov'dst him better 
Than ever thou lov'dst Cassius. 

Bru. Sheathe your dagger; 
Be angry when you will, it shall have scope; 
Do what you will, dishonor shall be humor. 
Oh, Cassius, you are yoked with a lamb 
That carries anger, as a flint bears fire; 
Who, much enforced, shows a hasty spark 
And straight is cold again. 

Cas. Hath Cassius lived 
To be but mirth and laughter to his Brutus, 
When grief and blood ill-temper 'd, vexeth him? 

Bru. When I spoke that, I was ill-temper'd too. 

Cas. Do you confess so much ? Give me your hand. 

Bru. And my heart, too. 

Cas. Oh Brutus. — 

Bru. What's the matter? 

Cas. Have you not love enough to bear with me, 
When that rash humor wjiich my mother gave me, 



Selections. 237 

Makes me forgetful? 

Bru. Yes, Cassius; and henceforth, 
When you are over-earnest with your Brutus, 
He'll think your mother chides, and leave you so. {Shakespeare) 

m %ast 

Into a temple vast and dim, 

Solemn and vast and dim, 

Just when the last sweet Vesper Hymn 

Was floating far away, 
With eyes that tabernacled tears — 
Her heart the home of tears — 
And cheeks wan with the woes of years, 

A woman went one day. 

And, one by one, adown the aisles, 
Adown the long, lone aisles, 
Their faces bright with holy smiles 

That follow after prayer, 
The worshipers in silence passed, 
In silence slowly passed away; 
The woman knelt until the last 

Had left her lonely there. 

A holy hush came o'er the place, 

O'er the holy place, 

The shadows kissed her woe-worn face, 

Her forehead touched the floor; 
The wreck had drifted thro' the years — 
Sin-driven thro' the years — 
Was floating o'er the tide of tears, 

To Mercy's golden shore. 

Her lips were sealed, they could not pray, 
They sighed, but could not pray, 
All words of prayer had died away 

From them long years ago; 
But ah! from out her eyes there rose — 
Sad from her eyes there rose — 
The prayer of tears, which swiftest goes 

To Heaven — winged with woe. 

With weary tears, her weary eyes, 

Her joyless, weary eyes, 

Wailed forth a rosary; and her sighs 



238 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

And sobs strung all the beads; 
The while before her spirit's gaze — 
Her contrite spirit's gaze — 
Moved all the mysteries of her days, 

And histories of her deeds. 

Still as a shadow, while she wept, 

So desolately wept, 

Up thro' the long, lone aisle she crept 

Unto an altar fair; 
''Mother!" — her pale lips said no more — 
Could say no more — 
The wreck, at last, reached Mercy's shore, 

For Mary's shrine was there. (Ryan) 



IRegulus to tbe IRoman Senate 

111 does it become me, O Senators of Rome, — ill does it become 
Regulus — after having so often stood in this venerable assembly clothed 
with the supreme dignity of the Republic, to stand before you a cap- 
tive — the captive of Carthage. Though outwardly I am free, — 
though no fetters encumber the limbs, or gall the flesh, — yet the heav- 
iest of chains, — the pledge of a Roman Consul, makes me the bonds- 
man of the Carthaginians. 

They have my promise to return to them, in the event of the failure 
of this their embassy. My life is at their mercy. My honor is my own ; 
— a possession which no reverse of fortune can jeopard; a flame which 
imprisonment cannot stifle, time cannot dim, death cannot extinguish. 

Of the train of disasters which followed close on the unexampled 
successes of our arms, — of the bitter fate which swept off the flower 
of our soldiery, and consigned me, your general, wounded and sense- 
less, to Carthaginian keeping, — I will not speak. For five years, a 
rigorous captivity has been my portion. For five years, the society 
of family and friends, the dear amenities of home, the sense of free- 
dom, and the sight of country, have been to me a recollection and a 
dream, — no more. 

But during that period Rome has retrieved her defeats. She has 
recovered under Metellus what under Regulus she lost. She has 
routed armies. She has taken unnumbered prisoners. She has struck 
terror to the hearts of the Carthaginians; who have now sent me hither 



Selections. 239 

with their ambassadors, to sue for peace, and to propose that, in ex- 
change for me, your former Consul, a thousand common prisoners of 
war shall be given up. 

You have heard the ambassadors. Their intimations of some un- 
imaginable horror — I know not what — impending over myself, should 
I fail to induce you to accept their terms, have strongly moved your 
sympathies in my behalf. 

Another appeal, which I would you might have been spared, has 
lent force to their suit. A wife and children, threatened with widow- 
hood and orphanage, weeping and despairing, have knelt at your feet, 
on the very threshold of the Senate-chamber. Conscript Fathers! 
Shall not Regulus be saved? Must he return to Carthage to meet 
the cruelties which the ambassadors brandish before your eyes? 

With one voice you answer, No. Countrymen! Friends! For 
all that I have suffered — for all that I may have to suffer — I am repaid 
in the compensation of this moment. Unfortunate, you may hold 
me; but, O, not undeserving. Your confidence in my honor survives 
all the ruin that adverse fortune could inflict. You have not forgotten 
the past. Republics are not ungrateful. May the thanks I cannot 
utter bring down blessings from the gods on you and Rome. 

Conscript Fathers! There is but one course to be pursued. A- 
bandon all thought of peace. Reject the overtures of Carthage. 
Reject them wholly and unconditionally. What! Give back to her 
a thousand able-bodied men, and receive in return this one attenuated, 
war-worn, fever-wasted frame, — this weed, whitened in a dungeon's 
darkness, pale and sapless, which no kindness of the sun, no softness 
of the summer breeze, can ever restore to health and vigor? 

It must not — it shall not be. O! were Regulus what he was once, 
before captivity had unstrung his sinews and enervated his limbs, 
he might pause, — he might proudly think he were well worth a thousand 
of the foe; — he might say, "Make the exchange. Rome shall not lose 
by it." 

But now — alas! now 'tis gone, — that impetuosity of strength, which 
could once make him a leader indeed, to penetrate a phalanx or guide 
a pursuit. His very armor would be a burden now. His battle-cry 
would be drowned in the din of the onset. His sword would fall harm- 



240 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

less on his opponent's shield. But, if he cannot live, he can at least 
die, for his country. Do not deny him this supreme consolation. 
Consider: every indignity, every torture, which Carthage shall heap 
on his dying hours, will be better than a trumpet's call to your armies. 

They will remember only Regulus, their fellow-soldier and their 
leader. They will forget his defeats. They will regard only his ser- 
vices to the Republic. Tunis, Sardinia, Sicily, — every well-fought 
field, won by his blood and theirs, — will flash on their remembrance, 
and kindle their avenging wrath. And so shall Regulus, though dead, 
fight as he never fought before against the foe. 

Conscript Fathers! There is another theme. My family — for- 
give the thought. To you, and to Rome, I confide them. I leave 
them no legacy but my name, — no testament but my example. 

Ambassadors of Carthage! I have spoken, though not as you ex- 
pected. I am your captive. Lead me back to whatever fate may 
await me. Doubt not that you shall find, to Roman hearts, country 
is dearer than life, and integrity more precious than freedom. {Anon) 

Brin's fflag 

Unroll Erin's flag! fling its folds to the breeze! 

Let it float o'er the land, let it flash o'er the seas! 

Lift it out of the dust — let it wave as of yore, 

When its chiefs with their clans stood around it and swore 

That never! no! never! while God gave them life, 

And they had an arm and a sword for the strife, 

That never! no! never! that banner should yield 

As long as the heart of a Celt was its shield; 

While the hand of a Celt had a weapon to wield, 

And his last drop of blood was unshed on the field. 

Lift it up! wave it high! 'tis as bright as of old! 

Not a stain on its green, not a blot on its gold, 

Tho' the woes and the wrongs of three hundred long years, 

Have drenched Erin's Sunburst with blood and with tears! 

Though the clouds of oppression enshroud it in gloom, 

And around it the thunders of Tyranny boom. 

Look aloft! look aloft! lo! the clouds drifting by, 

There's a gleam through the gloom, there's a light in the sky, 

'Tis the Sunburst resplendent — far, flashing on high! 

Erin's dark night is waning, her day-dawn is nigh. 

Lift it up! lift it up! the old Banner of Green! 
The blood of its sons has but brightened its sheen; 



Selections. 241 

What though the tyrant has trampled it down, 

Are its folds not emblazoned with deeds of renown? 

What though for ages it droops in the dust, 

Shall it droop thus forever? No! no! God is just! 

Take it up! take it up! from the tyrant's foul tread, 

Let him tear the Green Flag — we will snatch its last shred, 

And beneath it we'll bleed as our forefathers bled, 

And we'll vow by the dust in the graves of our dead. 

And we'll swear by the blood which the Briton has shed, 

And we'll vow by the wrecks which through Erin he spread, 

And we'll swear by the thousands who, famished, unfed, 

Died down in the ditches, wild-howling for bread, 

And we'll vow by our heroes, whose spirits have fled, 

And we'll swear by the bones in each coffinless bed, 

That we'll battle the Briton through danger and dread; 

That we'll cling to the cause which we glory to wed, 

'Til the gleam of our steel and the shock of our lead 

Shall prove to our foe that we meant what we said — 

That we'll lift up the green, and we'll tear down the red! 

Lift up the Green Flag! oh! it wants to go home, 
Full long has its lot been to wander and roam, 
It has followed the fate of its sons o'er the world, 
But its folds, like their hopes, are not faded nor furled; 
Like a weary-winged bird, to the Bast and the West, 
It has flitted and fled — but it shall never rest, 
'Til, pluming its pinions, it sweeps o'er the main, 
And speeds to the shores of its old home again, 
Where its fetterless folds o'er each mountain and plain 
Shall wave with a glory that never shall wane. 

Take it up! take it up! bear it back from afar! 

That banner must blaze 'mid the lightnings of war; 

Lay your hands on its folds, lift your gaze to the sky, 

And swear that you'll bear it triumphant or die, 

And shout to the clans scattered far o'er the earth 

To join in the march to the land of their birth; 

And wherever the Exiles, 'neath heaven's broad dome, 

Have been fated to suffer, to sorrow and roam, 

They'll bound on the sea, and away o'er the foam, 

They'll sail to the music of "Home, Sweet Home!" (Ryan) 



242 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

/Ibatc 2Hnton^6 Hpostropbe to Gaesat'0 JBoDe 

O Pardon me. thou bleeding piece of earth, 

That I am meek and gentle with these butchers; 

Thou art the ruins of the noblest man 

That ever lived in the tide of times. 

Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood. 

Over thy wounds now do I prophesy, — 

Which, like dumb mouths, do ope their ruby lips, 

To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue — 

A curse shall light upon the limbs of men; 

Domestic fury and fierce civil strife 

Shall cumber all the parts of Italy; 

Blood and destruction shall be so in use, 

And dreadful objects so familiar, 

That mothers shall but smile, when they behold 

Their infants quarter'd with the hands of war; 

All pity chok'd with custom of fell deeds; — 

And Caesar's spirit, raging for revenge, 

With Ate by his side come hot from hell, 

Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice, 

Cry "Havoc," and let slip the dogs of war; 

That this foul deed shall smell above the earth 

With carrion men, groaning for burial. (Shakespeare) 

Wcn^Ve nbbveee 

Friends: I come not here to talk. Ye know too well 

The story of our thraldom; — we are slaves! 

The bright sun rises to his course, and lights 

A race of slaves! He sets, and his last beam 

Falls on a slave! — not such as, swept along 

By the full tide of power, the conqueror leads 

To crimson glory and undying fame; 

But base, ignoble slaves — slaves to a horde 

Of petty tyrants, feudal despots, lords, 

Rich in some dozen paltry villages — 

Strong in some hundred spearsmen — only great 

In that strange spell, a name! Each hour, dark fraud, 

Or open rapine, or protected murder, 

Cries out against them. But this very day, 

An honest man, my neighbor — there he stands — 



Selections. 243 

Was struck — struck like a dog, by one who wore 

The badge of Ursini! because, forsooth, 

He tossed not high his ready cap in air, 

Nor lifted up his voice in servile shouts, 

At sight of that great ruffian! Be we men, 

And suffer such dishonor? Men, and wash not 

The stain away in blood? Such shames are common. 

I have known deeper wrongs. I, that speak to you — 

I had a brother once, — a gracious boy, 

Full of all gentleness, of calmest hope, 

Of sweet and quiet joy; there was the look 

Of heaven upon his face, which limners give 

To the beloved disciple. How I loved 

That gracious boy! Younger by fifteen years, 

Brother at once and son! He left my side, 

A summer bloom on his fair cheeks, a smile 

Parting his innocent lips. In one short hour, 

The pretty, harmless boy was slain! I saw 

The corse, the mangled corse, and then I cried 

For vengeance! Rouse, ye Romans! rouse, ye slaves! 

Have ye brave sons? Look, in the next fierce brawl, 

To see them die! Have ye fair daughters? Look 

To see them live, torn from your arms, disdained, 

Dishonored! and if ye dare call for justice, 

Be answered by the lash! Yet this is Rome, 

That sat on her seven hills, and, from her throne 

Of beauty, ruled the world! Yet we are Romans 1 

Why, in that elder day, to be a Roman 

Was greater than a king! — and once again — 

Hear me, ye walls, that echoed to the tread 

Of either Brutus! — once again I swear, 

The eternal city shall be free! her sons 

Shall walk with princes! 

Zbc Sworfc of IRobert Xee 

Forth from its scabbard, pure and bright, 

Flashed the sword of Lee! 
Far in the front of the deadly fight, 
High o'er the brave in the cause of Right, 
Its stainless sheen, like a beacon light, 

Led us to Victory. 



244 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical 

Out of its scabbard, where, full long, 

It slumbered peacefully, 
Roused from its rest by the battle's song, 
Shielding the feeble, smiting the strong, 
Guarding the right, avenging the wrong, 

Gleamed the sword of Lee. 

Forth from its scabbard, high in air 

Beneath Virginia's sky — 
And they who saw it gleaming there, 
And knew who bore it, knelt to swear 
That where that sword led they would dare 

To follow — and to die. 

Out of its scabbard! Never hand 

Waved sword from stain as free, 
Nor purer sword led braver band, 
Nor braver bled for a brighter land, 
Nor brighter land had a cause so grand, 

Nor cause a chief like Lee! 

Forth from its scabbard! How we prayed 

That sword might victor be; 
And when our triumph was delayed, 
And many a heart grew sore afraid, 
We still hoped on while gleamed the blade 

Of noble Robert Lee. 

Forth from its scabbard all in vain 

Bright flashed the sword of Lee; 
'Tis shrouded now in its sheath again, 
It sleeps the sleep of our noble slain, 
Defeated, yet without a stain, 

Proudly and peacefully. (Ryan) 

TKHilUam Zcll on tbe Hips 

Once more I breathe the mountain air; once more 

I tread my own free hills! My lofty soul 

Throws all its fetters off; in its proud flight, 

'Tis like the new-fledged eaglet, whose strong wing 

Soars to the sun it long has gazed upon 

With eye undazzled. O! ye mighty race 

That stand like frowning giants, fixed to guard 



Selections. 245 

My own proud land; why did ye not hurl down 
The thundering avalanche, when at your feet 
The base usurper stood? A touch, a breath, 
Nay, even the breath of prayer, ere now, has brought 
Destruction on the hunter's head; and yet 
The tyrant passed in safety. God of heaven! 
Where slept thy thunderbolts? 

O, liberty! 
Thou choicest gift of heaven, and wanting which 
Life is as nothing; hast thou then forgot 
Thy native home? Must the feet of slaves 
Pollute this glorious scene? It cannot be. 
Even as the smile of Heaven can pierce the depths 
Of these dark caves, and bid the wild flowers bloom 
In spots where man has never dared to tread; 
So thy sweet influence still is seen amid 
These beetling cliffs. Some hearts still beat for thee 
And bow alive to Heaven; thy spirit lives, 
Aye, and shall live, when even the very name 
Of tyrant is forgot. 

Lo! while I gaze 
Upon the mist that wreathes yon mountain's brow, 
The sunbeam touches it, and it becomes 
A crown of glory on his hoary head; 
O! is not this a presage of the dawn 
Of freedom o'er the world? Hear me, then, bright 
And beaming Heaven! while kneeling thus, I vow 
To live for freedom, or with her to die! 

Oh! with what pride I used 
To walk these hills, and look up to my God, 
And bless Him that it was so. It was free — 
From end to end, from cliff to lake; 'twas free — 
Free as our torrents are, that leap our rocks, 
And plow our valleys, without asking leave; 
Or as our peaks, that wear their caps of snow, 
In very presence of the regal sun! 
How happy was I in it then. I loved 
Its very storms! Yes, I have sat and eyed 
The thunder breaking from his cloud, and smiled 
To see him shake his lightnings o'er my head, 
And think I had no master save his own! 



246 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Ye know the jutting cliff, round which a track 

Up hither winds, whose base is but the brow 

To such another one, with scanty room 

For two abreast to pass? O'ertaken there 

By the mountain blast, I've laid me flat along, 

And while gust followed gust more furiously, 

As if to sweep me o'er tjie horrid brink, 

And I have thought of other lands, where storms 

Are summer flaws to those of mine, and just 

Have wished me there — the thought that mine was free, 

Has checked that wish, and I have raised my head,. 

And cried in thraldom to that furious wind, 

Blow on! this is the land of liberty! (Knowles) 



XLbc Surrender ot Calais 

The king was in his tent, 

And his lofty heart beat high, 
As he gazed on the city's battered walls 

With proud and flashing eye; 
But darker grew his brow, and stern, 

As slowly onward came 
The chiefs who long had dared to spurn 

The terror of his name. 

With calm and changeless cheek, 

Before the king they stood, 
For their native soil to offer up 

The sacrifice of blood. 
Like felons were they meanly clad, 

But the lightning of their look. 
The marble sternness of their brow, 

Ev'n the monarch could not brook. 

With angry voice he cried, 

"Haste! bear them off to death! 
Let the trumpet's joyous shout be blent 

With the traitor's parting breath!" 
Then silently they turned away, 

Nor word nor sound awoke, 
Till, from the monarch's haughty train, 

The voice of horror broke. 



Selections. 247 

And, hark! a step draws near — 

Not like the heavy clang 
Of the warrior's tread — and through the guards 

A female figure sprang; 

"A boon! a boon! my noble king! 

If still thy heart can feel 
The love Philippa once could claim, 

Look on me while I kneel. 

" 'Tis for thyself I pray; 

Let not the darkening cloud 
Of base-born cruelty arise, 

Thy glory to enshroud. 
Nay, nay — I will not rise; 

For never more thy wife 
Will hail thee victor, till thy soul 

Can conquer passion's strife. 

"Turn not away, my king! 

Look not in anger down! 
I've lived so long upon thy smile. 

I cannot bear th}^ frown. 
Oh! doom me not, dear Lord, to feel 

The pang all pangs above, 
To see the light I worship fade, 

And blush because I love. 

"Think how, for thee, 1 laid 

My woman's fears aside, 
And dared, where charging squadrons met, 

With dauntless front to ride. 
Think how, in all the matchless strength 

Of woman's love, I spread 
Thy banners, till they proudly waved 

In victory o'er my head. 

"Thou saidst that I deserved 

To share thy glorious crown; 
Oh! force me not to turn away 

In shame from thy renown. 
My Edward! thou wert wont to bear 

A kind and gentle heart; 
Then listen to Philippa's prayer, 

And let these men depart. " 



248 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Oh! what is all the pride 

Of man's oft boasted power, 
Compared with those sweet dreams that wake, 

In love's triumphant hour! 
Slowly the haughty king unbent 

His stern and vengeful brow, 
And the look he turned upon her face 

Was full of fondness now. 

Ne'er yet was woman slow 

To read in telltale eyes, 
Such thoughts as these — a moment more 

And on his breast she lies. 
Then, while her slender form still clung 

To his supporting arm, 
He cried, "Sweet, be it as thou wilt; 

They shall not meet with harm!" 

Then from the patriot band, 

Arose one thrilling cry; 
And tears rained down the iron cheek, 

That turned unblenched to die. 
"Now, we indeed are slaves, " they cried ; 

"Now vain our warlike arts — 
Edward has won our shattered walls, 

Philippa wins our hearts. " (Mrs. Embury) 

From jEnoch HrDen 

But Enoch yearn'd to see her face again; 
"If I might look on her sweet face again 
And know that she is happy." So the thought 
Haunted and harass'd him, and drove him forth, 
At evening when the dull November day 
Was growing duller twilight, to the hill. 
There he sat down gazing on all below; 
There did a thousand memories roll upon him, 
Unspeakable for sadness. By and by 
The ruddy square of comfortable light, 
Far-blazing from the rear of Philip's house 
Allured him, as the beacon-blaze allures 
The bird of passage, till he madly strikes 
Against it, and beats out his weary life. 



Selections. 249 

For Philip's dwelling fronted on the street, 

The latest house to landward; but behind, 

With one small gate that open'd on the waste, 

Flourish'd a little garden square and wall'd: 

And in it throve an ancient evergreen, 

A yew tree, and all around it ran a walk 

Of shingle, and a walk divided it: 

But Enoch shunn'd the middle walk and stole 

Up by the wall, behind the yew; and thence 

That which he better might have shunn'd, if griefs 

Like his have worse or better, Enoch saw. 

For cups and silver on the burnish'd board 
Sparkled and shone; so genial was the hearth: 
And on the right hand of the hearth he saw 
Philip, the slighted suitor of old times, 
Stout, rosy, with his babe across his knees; 
And o'er her second father stoopt a girl 
A later but a loftier Annie Lee, 
Fair-hair'd and tall, and from her lifted hand 
Dangled a length of ribbon and ring 
To tempt the babe, who rear'd his creasy arms, 
Caught at and ever miss'd it, and they laugh'd; 
And on the left hand of the hearth he saw 
The mother glancing often toward her babe, 
But turning now and then to speak with him, 
Her son, who stood beside her tall and strong, 
And saying that which pleased him, for he smiled. 

Now when the dead man come to life beheld 
His wife, his wife no more, and saw the babe 
Hers, yet not his, upon the father's knee, 
And all the warmth, the peace, the happiness, 
And his own children tall and beautiful, 
And him that other reigning in his place, 
Lord of his rights and of his children's love, — 
Then he, tho' Miriam Lane had told him all 
Because things seen are mightier than things heard, 
Stagger'd and shook, holding the branch, and fear'd 
To send abroad a shrill and terrible cry, 
Which in one moment, like the blast of doom, 
Would shatter all the happiness of the hearth. 



250 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

He therefore, turning softly like a thief, 
Lest the harsh shingle should grate underfoot, 
And feeling all along the garden-wall, 
Lest he should swoon and tumble and be found, 
Crept to the gate, and opened it and closed 
As lightly as a sick man's chamber-door, 
Behind him, and came out upon the waste. 

And there he would have knelt, but that his knees 
Were feeble, so that falling prone he dug 
His fingers into the wet earth, and pray'd. 

"Too hard to bear! why did they take me thence? 

O God Almighty, blessed Savior, Thou 

That didst uphold me on my lonely isle, 

Uphold me, Father, in my loneliness 

A little longer! aid me, give me strength 

Not to tell her, never to let her know. 

Help me not to break in upon her peace. 

My children, too! must I not speak to these? 

They know me not. I should betray myself 

Never: no father's kiss for me— the girl 

So like her mother, and the boy, my son." 

There speech and thought and nature fail'd a little, 
• And he lay tranced; but when he rose and paced 
Back toward his solitary home again, 
All down the long and narrow street he went 
Beating it in upon his weary brain, 
As tho' it were the burden of a song, 
"Not to tell her, never to let her know." (Tennyson) 

H XegenD 

He walked alone beside the lonely sea, 
The slanting sunbeams fell upon His face, 
His shadow fluttered on the pure white sands 
Like the weary wing of a soundless prayer. 
And He was, oh! so beautiful and fair! 
Brown sandals on his feet — His face downcast, 
As if He loved the earth more than the heav'ns. 
His face looked like His Mother's— only her's 
Had not those strange serenities and stirs 



Selections. 251 

That paled or flushed His olive cheeks and brow. 
He wore the seamless robe His Mother made — 
And as He gathered it about His breast, 
The wavelets heard a sweet and gentle voice 
Murmur, O! My Mother" — the white sands felt 
The touch of tender tears He wept the while. 
He walked beside the sea; He took His sandals off 
To bathe His weary feet in the pure cool wave — 
For He had walked across the desert sands 
All day long — and as He bathed His feet 
He murmured to Himself, "Three years! three years! 
And then, poor feet, the cruel nails will come 
And make you bleed ; but ah ! that blood shall lave 
All weary feet on all their thorny ways." 
"Three years! three years!" He murmured still again, 
"Ah! would it were to-morrow, but a will — 
My Father's will — biddeth Me bide that time." 
A little fisher-boy came up the shore 
And saw Him — and, nor bold, nor shy, 
Approached, but when he saw the weary face, 
Said mournfully to Him: "You look a- tired." 
He placed his hand upon the boy's brown brow 
Caressingly and blessingly — and said: 
"I am so tired to wait." The boy spake not. 
Sudden, a sea-bird, driven by a storm 
That had been sweeping on the farther shore, 
Came fluttering towards Him, and, panting, fell 
At His feet and died; and then the boy said: 
"Poor little bird," in such a piteous tone; 
He took the bird and laid it in His hand, 
And breathed on it — when to his amaze 
The little fisher-boy beheld the bird 
Flutter a moment and then fly aloft — 
Its little life returned; and then he gazed 
With look intensest on the wondrous face 
(Ah! it was beautiful and fair) — and said: 
"Thou art so sweet I wish Thou wert my God." 
He leaned down toward the boy and softly said: 
"I am thy Christ." The day they followed Him, 
With cross upon His shoulders, to His death, 
Within the shadow of a sheltering rock 
That little boy knelt down, and there adored 
While others cursed, the thorn-crowned Crucified. {Ryan) 



252 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical- 

/Ifcarco 36033ari6 

At midnight, in his guarded tent, 

The Turk was dreaming of the hour, 
When Greece, her knee in suppliance bent, 

Should tremble at his power. 
In dreams through camp and court he bore 
The trophies of a conqueror; 

In dreams his song of triumph heard; 
Then, wore his monarch's signet ring, 
Then pressed that monarch's throne — a king; 
As wild his thoughts and gay of wing, 

As Eden's garden-bird. 

An hour passed on — the Turk awoke; 

That bright dream was his last; 
He awoke! to hear his sentry's shriek, 
"To arms! they come! the Greek! the Greek!" 
He awoke! to die midst flame and smoke, 
And shout and groan, and sabre stroke, 

And death -shots falling thick and fast 
As lightnings from the mountain cloud; 
And heard with voice as trumpet loud, 

Bozzaris cheer his band: — 
"Strike! till the last armed foe expires. 
Strike! for your altars and your fires, 
Strike! for the green graves of your sires, 

God — and your native land!" 

They fought like brave men, long and well, 

They piled that ground with Moslem slain; 

They conquered — but Bozzaris fell, 
Bleeding at every vein. 

His few surviving comrades saw 

His smile, when rang their proud hurrah, 

And the red field was won. (Halleck) 

Gbe JSattle Storm 

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more, 

Or close the wall up with our English dead. 

In peace there's nothing so becomes a man 

As modest stillness and humility; 

But when the blast of war blows in our ears. 



Selections. 253 

Then imitate the action of the tiger: 

Stiffen the sinews — summon up the blood, — 

Disguise fair nature with hard-favored rage; 

Then lend the eye a terrible aspect; 

Let it pry through the portage of the head, 

Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it, 

As fearfully as doth the galled rock 

O'erhang and jutty his confounded base, 

Swelled with the wild and wasteful ocean. 

Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide, 

Hold hard the breath, and bend up every spirit 

To its full height! On, on, you noble English, 

Whose blood is set from fathers of war-proof! 

Fathers, that like so many Alexanders, 

Have in these parts from morn till even fought, 

And sheathed their swords for lack of argument: 

Be copy now for men of grosser blood, 

And teach them how to war; and you, good yeomen, 

Whose limbs are made in England, show us here 

The mettle of your pasture: let us swear 

That you are worth your breeding, which I doubt not. 

For there is none of you so mean and base 

That hath not noble lustre in your eye: 

I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, 

Straining upon the start. The game's afoot; 

Follow your spirit; and upon this charge, 

Cry, "Heaven for Harry, England, and St. George!" 

{Shakespeare) 

Cbararctet of Wapoleon Bonaparte 

He is fallen! We may now pause before that splendid prodigy, 
which towered amongst us like some ancient ruin, whose frown terri- 
fied the glance its magnificence attracted. Grand, gloomy, and peculiar, 
he sat upon the throne a sceptered hermit, wrapt in the solitude of 
his own originality. A mind bold, independent, and decisive — a will 
despotic in its dictates — an energy that distanced expedition, and 
a conscience pliable to every touch of interest, marked the outline 
of this extraordinary character — the most extraordinary, perhaps, 
that in the annals of this world ever rose, or reigned, or fell. Flung 
into life, in the midst of a revolution that quickened every energy 
of a people who acknowledge no superior, he commenced his course, 
a stranger by birth, and a scholar by charity ! With no friend but 



254 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

his sword, and no fortune but his talents, he rushed in the lists where 
rank, and wealth, and genius had arrayed themselves, and competition 
fled from him as from the glance of destiny. He knew no motive 
but interest — he acknowledged no criterion but success — he worshipped 
no god but ambition, and with an eastern devotion he knelt at the 
shrine of his idolatry. Subsidiary to this, there was no creed that 
he did not profess, there was no opinion that he did not promulgate: 
in the hope of a dynasty, he upheld the crescent; for the sake of a di- 
vorce, he bowed before the cross: the orphan of St. Louis, he became 
the adopted child of the republic: and with a parricidal ingratitude, 
on the ruins both of the throne and tribune, he reared the throne of 
his despotism. A professed Catholic, he imprisoned the pope; a pre- 
tended patriot, he impoverished the country; and, in the name of Brutus, 
he grasped without remorse, and wore without shame, the diadem of 
the Caesars! Through this pantomime of policy, fortune played the 
clown to his caprices. At his touch, crowns crumbled, beggars reigned, 
systems vanished, the wildest theories took the color of his whim, and 
all that was venerable, and all that was novel, changed places with 
the rapidity of a drama. Even apparent defeat assumed the ap- 
pearance of victory — his flight from Egypt confirmed his destiny — 
ruin itself only elevated him to empire. But if his fortune was great, 
his genius was transcendent; decision flashed upon his councils; and 
it was the same to decide and to perform. To inferior intellects his 
combinations appeared perfectly impossible, his plans perfectly im- 
practicable; but, in his hands, simplicity marked their development, and 
success vindicated their adoption. His person partook of the character 
of his mind — if the one never yielded in the cabinet, the other never 
bent in the field. Nature had no obstacle that he did not surmount 
— space no opposition that he did not spurn; and whether amid Alpine 
rocks, Arabian sands, or Polar snows, he seemed proof against peril, 
and empowered with ubiquity! The whole continent trembled at 
beholding the audacity of his designs, and the miracle of their execution. 
Skepticism bowed to the prodigies of his performance; romance as- 
sumed the air of history; nor was there aught too incredible for be- 
lief, or too fanciful for expectation, when the world saw a subaltern of 
Corsica waving his imperial flag over her most ancient capitals. All 
the visions of antiquity became commonplaces in his contemplation; 
kings were his people — nations were his outposts; and he disposed of 
courts, and crowns, and camps, and churches, and cabinets, as if they 
were titular dignitaries of the chessboard! — Amid all these changes 
he stood immutable as adamant. 

It mattered little whether in the field or in the drawing-room — 



Selections. 255 

with a mob or the levee — wearing the Jacobin bonnet or the iron 
crown — banishing a Braganza, or espousing a Hapsburg — dictating 
peace on a raft to the Czar of Russia, or contemplating defeat at the 
gallows of Leipzig — he was still the same military despot ! 

In this wonderful combination, his affectations of literature must 
not be omitted. The jailer of the press, he affected the patronage of 
letters — the proscriber of books, he encouraged philosophy — the per- 
secutor of authors and the murderer of printers, he yet pretended to 
the protection of learning ! The assassin of Palm, the silencer of De 
Stael, and the denouncer of Kotzebue, he was the friend of David, 
the benefactor of De Lille, and sent his academic prize to the philoso- 
pher of England. Such a medley of contradictions, and at the same 
time such an individual consistency, were never united in the same char- 
acter. A royaltist — a republican and an emperor — a Mohammedan — 
a Catholic and a patron of the synagogue — a subaltern and a sovereign 
— a traitor and a tyrant — a Christian and an infidel — he was, through 
all his vicissitudes, the same stern, impatient, inflexible original — the 
same mysterious, incomprehensible self — the man without a model, 
and without a shadow. {Phillips) 



Ibomeless 

It is cold, dark midnight, yet listen 
To that patter of tiny feet! 

Is it one of your dogs, fair lady, 

Who whines in the bleak, cold street? 

Is it one of your silken spaniels 

Shut out in the snow and the sleet? 

My dogs sleep in their baskets, 

Safe from the darkness and snow; 

All the beasts in our Christian England, 
Find pity wherever they go — 

(Those are only the homeless children 
Who are wandering to and fro.) 

Look out in the gusty darkness, — 
I have seen it again and again, 

That shadow, that flits so slowly 

Up and down past the window-pane: — 

It is surely some criminal lurking 
Out there in the frozen rain? 



256 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical 

Nay, our criminals are all sheltered, 

They are pitied and taught and fed: 

That is only a sister-woman 

That has got neither food nor bed, — 

And the night cries, "Sin to be living," 
And the river cries, "Sin to be dead " 

Look out at the farthest corner 

Where the wall stands blank and bare: — 

Can that be a pack which a Pedler 
Has left and forgotten there? 

His goods, lying out unsheltered, 

Will be spoilt by the damp night air. 

Nay; — goods in our thrifty England 
Are not left to lie and grow rotten, 

For each man knows the market value 
Of silk or woolen or cotton .... 

But in counting the riches of England 
I think our Poor are forgotten. 

Our Beasts and our Thieves and our Chattels 

Have weight for good or for ill; 
But the Poor are only His image, 

His presence, His words, His will; — 
And so Lazarus lies at our door-step 

And Dives neglects him still. (Adelaide A. Procter) 

Ibotspur's Deatb 

Hotspur. If I mistake not, thou art Harry Monmouth. 

Prince. Thou speak'st as if I would deny my name. 

Hot. My name is Harry Percy. 

Prince. Why, then I see 

A very valiant rebel of that name. 
I am the Prince of Wales; and think not, Percy, 
To share with me in glory any more; 
Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere; 
Nor can one England brook a double reign, 
Of Harry Percy and the Prince of Wales. 

Hot. Nor shall it, Harry; for the hour is come 
To end the one of us; and would to God 
Thy name in arms were now as great as mine! 

Prince. I'll make it greater ere I part from thee; 



Selections. 257 

And all the budding honors on thy crest 
I'll crop to make a garland for my head. 

Hot. I can no longer brook thy vanities. [They fight. 

Enter Falstaff. 

Fal. Well said, Hal! to it, Hal! Nay, you shall find 
no boy's play here, — I can tell you. 

Re-enter Douglas; he fights with Falstaff, who falls down as 
if dead, and exit Douglas. Hotspur is wounded and falls. 

Hot. O Harry, thou hast robb'd me of my youth! 
I better brook the loss of brittle life 
Than those proud titles thou hast won of me; 
They wound my thoughts worse than thy sword my flesh: 
But thought's the slave of life, and life Time's fool, 
And Time that takes survey of all the world, 
Must have a stop. O, I could prophesy, 
But that the earthy and cold hand of death 
Lies on my tongue; no, Percy, thou art dust, 
And food for — 

Prince. For worms, brave Percy; fare thee well, great heart! 
Ill-weaved ambition, how much art thou shrunk! 
When that this body did contain a spirit, 
A kingdom for it was too small a bound; 
But now two paces of the vilest earth 
Is room enough. This earth that bears the dead 
Bears not alive so stout a gentleman, 
If thou wert sensible of courtesy, 
I should not make so dear a show of zeal; 
But let my favours hide thy mangled face; 
And, even in thy behalf, I'll thank myself 
For doing these fair rites of tenderness. 
Adieu, and take thy praise with thee to Heaven! 
Thy ignominy sleep with thee in the grave, 
But not remember'd in thy epitaph! — 

(Sees Falstaff on the ground.) 
What, old acquaintance! could not all this flesh 
Keep in a little life? Poor Jack, farewell! 
I could have better spared a better man: 
O, I should have a heavy miss of thee, 
If I were much in love with vanity! 
Death hath not struck so fat a deer to-day, 
Though many dearer, in this bloody fray. (Exit.) 

Fal. (Rising.) Ha! 'twas time to counterfeit, or that hot 
termagant Scot had paid me scot and lot too. Counterfeit! I lie; 



258 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

I am no counterfeit: to die, is to be counterfeit, for he is but the counter- 
feit of a man who hath not the life of a man: but counterfeit dying, 
when a man thereby liveth, is to be no counterfeit, but the true and 
perfect image of life indeed. The better part of valour is discretion; 
in the which better part I saved my life. — I am afraid of this gun- 
powder Percy, though he be dead: how, if he should counterfeit too, 
and rise? by my faith, I am afraid he would prove the better counter- 
feit. Therefore I'll make him sure: yea, and I'll swear I kill'd him. 
Why may not he rise as well as I? Nothing confutes me but eyes, and 
nobody sees me. Therefore, sirrah, with a new wound in your thigh, 
come you along with me.- (Takes Hotspur on his back.) 

Re-enter Prince Henry and Lancaster. 
Prince. Come, brother John; full bravely hast thou fleshed 
Thy maiden sword. 

Lancaster. But, soft! whom have we here? 
Did you not tell me this fat man was dead? 

Prince. I did; I saw him dead, breathless and bleeding 
Upon the ground. — 
Art thou alive? or is it fantasy 
That plays upon our sight? I pr'ythee, speak; 
We will not trust our eyes without our ears: 
Thou art not what thou seem'st. 

Fal. No, that's certain; I am not a double man: but if I be not 
Jack Falstaff, then I am a Jack. There is Percy! (Throwing the body 
down.) If your father will do me any honour, so; if not, let him kill the 
next Percy himself ! I look to be either earl or duke, I can assure you. 
Prince. Why, Percy I kill'd myself, and saw thee dead. 
Fal. Didst thou? — Lord, Lord, how this world is given to 
lying! — I grant you I was down and out of breath; and so was he; 
but we rose both at an instant, and fought a long hour by Shrewsbury 
clock. If I may be believed, so: if not, let them that should reward 
valour bear the sin upon their own heads. I'll take it upon my death, 
I gave him this wound in the thigh: if the man were alive, and would 
deny it, zounds, I would make him eat a piece of my sword. 
Lan. This is the strangest tale that ever I heard. 
Prince. This is the strangest fellow, brother John. — 
Come, bring your luggage nobly on your back; 
For my part, if a lie may do thee grace, 
I'll gild it with the happiest terms I have. — 
The trumpet sounds retreat; the day is ours. 
Come, brother, let's to th' highest of the field, 
To see what friends are living, who are dead. 

(Henry IV. Act V.) 



Selections. 259 

Gbe (Bbeber's (Slen 

But see — he starts — what heard he then? 

That dreadful shout! — across the glen 

From the land-side it comes, and loud 

Rings through the chasm; as if the crowd 

Of fearful things that haunt that dell, 

Its Gholes and Dives and shapes of hell, 

Had all in one dread howl broke out, 

So loud, so terrible that shout! 

"They come — the Moslems come!" he cries, 

His proud soul mounting to his eyes — 

"Now spirits of the brave, who roam 

Enfranchised through yon starry dome, 

Rejoice, for souls of kindred fire 

Are on the wing to join your choir I" 

He said, and, light as bridegrooms bound 

To their young loves, reclimbed the steep 

And gained the shrine. His chiefs stood round; 

Their swords, as with instinctive leap, 

Together, at that cry accurst, 

Had from their sheaths, like sunbeams, burst, 

And hark! again, again it rings: 

Near and more near its echoings 

Peal through the chasm. Oh! who that then 

Had seen those listening warrior-men, 

With their swords grasped, their eyes of flame 

Turned on their chief, could doubt the shame, 

The indignant shame, with which they thrill 

To hear those shouts, and yet be still? 

He read their thoughts — they were his own — 

"What! while our arms can wield these blades 

Shall we die tamely? die alone? 

Without one victim to our shades, 

One Moslem heart, where, buried deep, 

The sabre from its toil may sleep? 

No; God of Iran's burning skies! 

Thou scorn'st the inglorious sacrifice. 

No — though of all earth's hope bereft, 

Life, swords, and vengeance still are left. 

We'll make yon valley's reeking caves 

Live in the awestruck minds of men, 

Till tyrants shudder, when their slaves 



260 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Tell of the Gheber's bloody glen. 

Follow, brave hearts! — this pile remains 

Our refuge still from life and chains; 

But his the best, the holiest bed, 

Who sinks entombed in Moslem dead!" (Moore) 

Cassius inciting Brutus to Conspiracy 

Cassius. Will you go see the order of the course? 

Brutus, Not I. 

Cass. I pray you, do. 

Bru. I am not gamesome; I do lack some part 

Of that quick spirit that is in Antony. 

Let me not hinder, Cassius, your desires; 

I'll leave you. 

Cass. Brutus, I do observe you now of late; 
I have not from your eyes that gentleness 
And show of love as I was wont to have: 
You bear too stubborn and too strange a hand 
Over your friend that loves you. 

Bru. Cassius, 

Be not deceived: if I have veil'd my look; 
I turn the trouble of my countenance 
Merely upon myself. Vexed I am 
Of late with passions of some difference, 
Conceptions only proper to myself, 
Which give some soil, perhaps, to my behaviours; 
But let not therefore my good friends be grieved, — 
Among which number, Cassius, be you one, — 
Nor construe any further my neglect.. 
.Than that poor Brutus, with himself at war, 
Forgets the shows of love to other men. 

Cass. Then, Brutus, I have much mistook your passion; 
By means whereof, this breast of mine hath buried 
Thoughts of great value, worthy cogitations. 
Tell me, good Brutus, can you see your face? 

Bru. No, Cassius; for the eye sees not itself 
But by reflection from some other thing. 

Cass. 'Tis just: 
And it is very much lamented, Brutus, 
That you have not such mirrors as will turn 
Your hidden worthiness into your eye, 



Selections. 261 

That you might see your shadow. I have heard, 
Where many of the best respect in Rome, — 
Except immortal Caesar, — speaking of Brutus, 
And groaning underneath this age's yoke, 
Have wished that noble Brutus had his eyes. 

Bru. Into what dangers would you lead me, Cassius, 
That you would have me seek into myself 
For that which is not in me? 

Cass. Therefore, good Brutus, be prepared to hear: 
And, since you cannot see yourself 
So well as by reflection, I, your glass 
Will modestly discover to yourself 
That of yourself which you yet know not of. 
And be not jealous of me, gentle Brutus: 
Were I a common laugher, or did use 
To stale with ordinary oaths my love 
To every new protester; if you know 
That I do fawn on men, and hug them hard, 
And after scandal them; or if you know 
That I profess myself, in banqueting, 
To all the rout, then hold me dangerous. (Shout) 

Bru. What means this shouting? I do fear the people 
Choose Caesar for their king. 

Cass. Ay, do you fear it? 

Then must I think you would not have it so. 

Bru. I would not, Cassius; yet I love him well. 
But wherefore do you hold me here so long? 
What is it that you would impart to me? 
If it be aught toward the general good, 
Set honour in one eye and death i' the other, 
And I will look on both indifferently; 
For let the gods so speed me as I love 
The name of honor more than I fear death. 

Cass. I know that virtue to be in you, Brutus, 
As well as I do know your outward favour. 
Well, honor is the subject of my story. 
I cannot tell what you and other men 
Think of this life; but, for my single self, 
I had as lief not be, as live to be 
In awe of such a thing as I myself. 
I was born free as Caesar; so were you. 
We both have fed as well; and we can both 
Endure the winter's cold as well as he: 



262 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

For once, upon a raw and gusty day, 

The troubled Tiber chafing with her shores, 

Caesar said to me, Barest thou, Cassius, now 

Leap in with me into this angry flood, 

And swim to yonder point? Upon the word, 

Accoutred as I was, I plunged in, 

And bade him follow: so indeed he did. 

The torrent roar'd and we did buffet it 

With lusty sinews, throwing it aside 

And stemming it with hearts of controversy: 

But, ere we could arrive the point proposed, 

Caesar cried, Help me, Cassius, or I sink! 

I, as iEneas, our great ancestor, 

Did from the flames of Troy upon his shoulder 

The old Anchises bear, so from the waves of Tiber 

Did I the tired Caesar: and this man 

Is now become a god; and Cassius is 

A wretched creature, and must bend his body, 

If Caesar carelessly but nod on him. 

He had a fever when he was in Spain; 

And when the fit was on him I did mark 

How he did shake: 'tis true, this god did shake: 

His coward lips did from their colour fly; 

And that same eye, whose bend doth awe the world, 

Did lose his lustre. I did hear him groan: 

Ay, and that tongue of his, that bade the Romans 

Mark him, and write his speeches in their books, 

Alas, it cried, Give me some drink, Titinius, 

As a sick girl. — Ye gods, it doth amaze me, 

A man of such a feeble temper should 

So get the start of the majestic world, 

And bear the palm alone. {Shout) 

Bru. Another general shout! 
I do believe that these applauses are 
For some new honours that are heap'd on Caesar. 

Cass. Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world 
Like a Colossus; and we petty men 
Walk under his huge legs, and peep about 
To find ourselves dishonourable graves. 
Men at some time are masters of their fates: 
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, 
But in ourselves, that we are underlings. 



Selections. 263 

Brutus and Ccesar: what should be in that Ccesar? 
Why should that name be sounded more than yours? 
Write them together, yours is as fair a name: 
Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well: 
Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with them, 
Brutus will start a spirit as soon as Ccesar. 
Now, in the names of all the gods at once, 
Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed, 
That he is grown so great? Age, thou art shamed! 
Rome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods! 
When went there by an age, since the great flood, 
But it was famed with more than with one man? 
When could they say, till now, that talk'd of Rome, 
That her wide walls encompass' d but one man? 
Now is it Rome indeed, and room enough, 
When there is in it but one only man. 
O, you and I have heard our fathers say 
There was a Brutus once that would have brook' d 
Th' eternal Devil to keep his state in Rome, 
As easily as a king! 

Bru. That you do love me, I am nothing jealous; 
What you would work me to, I have some aim: 
How I have thought of this, and of these times, 
I shall recount hereafter; for the present, 
I would not, so with love I might entreat you, 
Be any further moved. What you have said, 
I will consider; what you have to say, 
I will with patience hear; and find a time 
Both meet to hear and answer such high things. 
Till then, my noble friend, chew upon this: 
Brutus had rather be a villager 
Than repute himself a son of Rome 
Under such hard conditions as this time 
Is like to lay upon us. 

Cass. I am glad that my weak words 
Have struck but thus much show of fire from Brutus. 

(Julius Ccesar, Act I.) 



264 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Wioiec^e novice to Cromwell 

Wolsey. Farewell, a long farewell, to all my greatness! 
This is the state of man: To-day he puts forth 
The tender leaves of hope: to-morrow blossoms, 
And bears his blushing honours thick upon him; 
The third day comes a frost, a killing frost, 
And — when he thinks, good easy man, full surely 
His greatness is a-ripening — nips his root, 
And then he falls, as I do. I have ventured, 
Like little wanton boys that swim on bladders, 
This many summers in a sea of glory; 
But far beyond my depth; my high-blown pride 
At length broke under me; and now has left me, 
Weary and old with service, to the mercy 
Of a rude stream, that must forever hide me. 
Vain pomp and glory of this world, I hate ye: 
I feel my heart new open'd. O how wretched 
Is that poor man that hangs on princes' favours! 
There is, betwixt the smile we would aspire to, 
That sweet aspect of princes, and their ruin, 
More pangs and fears than wars or women have; 
And when he falls, he falls like Lucifer, 
Never to hope again. — 

Enter Cromwell, amazedly. 
Why, how now, Cromwell! 

Crom. I have no power to speak, sir. 

Wol. What, amazed 

At my misfortunes? can thy spirit wonder 
A great man should decline? Nay, and you weep, 
I'm fall'n indeed. 

Crom. How does your Grace? 

Wol. Why, well; 

Never so truly happy, my good Cromwell. 
I know myself now; and I feel within me 
A peace above all earthly dignities, 
A still and quiet conscience. The king has cured me, 
I humbly thank his Grace, and from these shoulders, 
These ruin'd pillars, out of pity, taken 
A load would sink a navy, too much honour. 
O 'tis a burden, Cromwell, 'tis a burden 
Too heavy for a man that hopes for Heaven! 



Selections. 265 

Crom. I'm glad your Grace has made that right use of it. 

Wol. I hope I have: I'm able now, methinks — 
Out of a fortitude of soul I feel — 
T' endure more miseries and greater far 
Than my weak-hearted enemies dare offer. 
What news abroad? 

Crom. The heaviest and the worst 

Is your displeasure with the king. 

Wol. God bless him! 

Crom. The next is, that Sir Thomas Moore is chosen 
Lord Chancellor in your place. 

Wol. That's somewhat sudden: 

But he's a learned man, May he continue 
Long in his Highness' favor, and do justice 
For truth's sake and his conscience? that his bones, 
When he has run his course and sleeps in blessings, 
May have a tomb of orphans' tears wept on 'em! 
What more? 

Crom. That Cranmer is return 'd with welcome, 
Installed Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. 

Wol. That's news indeed. 

Crom. Last that the Lady Anne ; 

Whom the king hath in secrecy long married, 
This day was view'd in open as his queen, 
Going to chapel, and the voice is now 
Only about her coronation. 

Wol. There was the weight that pull'd me down. 

Cromwell! 

The king has gone beyond me : all my glories 

In that one woman I have lost forever: 

No sun shall ever usher forth mine honors, 

Or gild again the noble troops that waited 

Upon my smiles. Go, get thee from me, Cromwell; 

1 am a poor fallen man, unworthy now 
To be thy lord and master; seek thy king; 
That sun, I pray, may never set! I've told him 
What, and how true thou art: he will advance thee: 
Some little memory of me will stir him — 

I know his noble nature — not to let 
Thy hopeful service perish too: good Cromwell, 
Neglect him not ; make use now, and provide 
For thine own future safety. 



266 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Crom. O my lord, 

Must I, then, leave you? must I needs forego 
So good, so noble, and so true a master? 
Bear witness, all that have not hearts of iron, 
With what a sorrow Cromwell leaves his lord. 
The King shall have my service; but my prayers, 
Forever and forever shall be yours. 

Wol. Cromwell, I did not think to shed a tear 
In all my miseries; but thou hast forced me, 
Out of thy honest truth, to play the woman. 
Let's dry our eyes: and thus far hear me, Cromwell; 
And when I am forgotten, as I shall be, 
And sleep in dull cold marble, where no mention 
Of me more must be heard of — say ; I taught thee, 
Say, Wolsey — that once trod the ways of glory, 
And sounded all the depths and shoals of honours — 
Found thee a way out of his wreck to rise in; 
A sure and safe one; though thy master miss'd it. 
Mark but my fall, and that that ruined me. 
Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition: • 
By that sin fell the angels; how can man, then, 
The image of his Maker, hope to win by't? 
Love thyself last; cherish those hearts that hate thee: 
Corruption wins not more than honesty. 
Still in thy right hand carry gentle peace, 
To silence envious tongues. Be just, and fear not: 
Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's, 
Thy God's, and truth's: then, if thou fall'st, O Cromwell, 
Thou fall'st a blessed martyr! Serve the king; 
And, — pr'ythee, lead me in: 
There make an inventory of all I have, 
To the last penny: 'tis the king's; my robe, 
And my integrity to Heaven, is all 
I dare now call my own. O Cromwell, Cromwell! 
Had I but served my God with half the zeal 
I served my king, He would not in mine age 
Have left me naked to mine enemies. 

{King Henry VIII, Act III.) 



Selections. 267 

Gbe DrunfcarD's 5)eatb 

I stood beside the death-bed of a man 

Whom drink had slain; 
And saw a soul depart as I'd ne'er wish 

To see again. 
In throes of agony, a human blight, 

In sense, a clod, 
Struggled with death, a sick'ning, awful sight: 

Then went to God. 
It pained my heart to see the stark bare room, 

And rotten floor 
Gaping with greasy rat holes, dark and foul, 

And hingeless door. 

The fireless hearth with dreary cinders strewn, 

Blank, cold and dead; 
The heap of filthy straw and stinking rags 

That made the bed ; 
Old bottles, battered tins and broken ware, 

The cupboard had ; 
Empty of food, it bore a thin, starved look, 

Hungry and sad; 
The crazy windows rattling with the wind, 

And shattered wall: 
Within, without, all things with dirt begrimed — 

Dirt over all. 

But when I saw the man unhinged of sense, 

A shattered wreck: 
His darkened, sin-grimed soul departing hence; 

I could not check 
The rising tear that glimmered in my eye, 

Nor hush the thought, 
That here was one who better to this world 

Had ne'er been brought. 
His heated brain with wild delirium raved; 

His blood-shot eyes 
Glared like a hunted beast's, while from his mouth 

Came savage cries, 
"Away!" he shrieked; with frantic look, "away! 

Ye fiends from hell! 
Let go my throat. Begone! Don't strangle me, — 



268 Elements of Expression; Vocal and Physical. 

Hark! there's a bell! 
It rings! rings: rings for Mass. I never go; 

Leave me to sleep! 
To sleep! I cannot sleep in flames like these 

That o'er me creep. 
I'm all on fire. It scorches me to death. 

Bring water here! 
Bring floods, and drown me in their cooling depths! 

Yon devils jeer 
And gibe upon me with a mock laugh 

And gnashing teeth; 
Take ofT this net. These cords around my throat 

Won't let me breathe. 
No! No! have mercy! Do not chain me yet. 

I crave an hour, 
A minute to be free! What have I done, 

That worms devour 
My flesh and heart and brain? These scalding showers 

Burn me to death. 
These parching winds, these endless desert sands 

Dry up my breath! 
One drop of water for my burning tongue! 

With thirst I sink. 
Sweet water! heavenly streams! flow not so fast, 

I cannot drink. 

What spirit damned from out the shades of hell 

Is lurking here? 
Ha! ha! I know you well. 'Tis you who sold 

Me gin and beer. 
Dost want my soul? Was't not enough to take 

My very life? 
And help me starve my children — break the heart 

Of my poor wife? 
You are the man who on my ruin fed; 

As vampire bat 
That gluts itself on blood, so you on me 

Grew rich and fat. 
Help! help! I cannot breathe this stifling air, 

These hellish fumes; 
This biting adder gnaws my life away 

And soul consumes!" 



Selections. 269 

The midnight moon was shining in the sky, 

Cold, clear, and pale; 
The winds, without, like ghosts in pain, moaned forth 

A long, weird wail. 
A passing cloud a heavy shadow cast 

Upon the bed. 
He struggled, grasped the air, then upright stood; 

And fell back, dead! 

{Rev. Alfred Young, C.S.P.) 

Scene from "Gbe /Bbercbant of IDenice" 

Enter Solanio and Salarino 

Solan. Now, what news on the Rialto? 

Salar. Why, yet it lives there uncheck'd that Antonio hath a ship 
of rich lading wreck'd on the narrow seas; the Goodwins, I think they 
call the place; a very dangerous flat and fatal, where the carcasses of 
many a tall ship lie buried, as they say, if my gossip Report be an 
honest woman of her word. 

Solan. I would she were as lying a gossip in that as ever knapp'd 
ginger, or made her neighbors believe she wept for the death of a third 
husband. But it is true, without any slips of prolixity, or crossing the 
plain highway of talk, that the good Antonio, the honest Antonio, 
— O, that I had a title good enough to keep his name company! — 

Salar. Come, the full stop. 

Solan. Ha, — what say'st thou? — Why, the end is, he hath lost a 
ship. 

Salar. I would it might prove the end of his losses. 

Solan. Let me say amen betimes, lest the Devil cross my prayer; 
for here he comes in the likeness of a Jew. 

Enter Shylock 

How now, Shylock! what news among the merchants? 

Shy. You knew, none so well, none so well as you, of my daughter's 
flight. 

Salar. That's certain: I, for my part, knew the tailor that made the 
wings she flew withal. 

Solan. And Shylock, for his own part, knew the bird was fledg'd; 
and then it is the complexion of them all to leave the dam. 

Shy. She is damn'd for it. 

Salar. That's certain, if the Devil may be her judge. 

Shy. In Antonio I have another bad match; a bankrupt, a prodigal, 
who dare scarce show his head on the Rialto; — a beggar, that was used 



270 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

to come so snug upon the mart. Let him look to his bond; he was 
wont to call me usurer; — let him look to his bond; he was wont to 
lend money for a Christian courtesy; — let him look to his bond. 

Salar. Why, I am sure, if he forfeit, thou wilt not take his flesh; 
what's that good for? 

Shy. To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing else, it will feed my 
revenge. He hath disgraced me, and hinder'd me half a million; 
laugh'd at my losses, mock'd at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted 
my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies; and what's 
his reason? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, 
organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, 
hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by 
the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, 
as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, 
do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, 
shall we not revenge? if we are like you in the rest, we will resemble 
you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? revenge: 
if a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian 
example? why, revenge. The villainy you teach me, I will execute, 
and it shall go hard, but I will better the instruction. (Shakespeare) 

Zbe ConDitton of HrelanD 

The war of centuries is at a close. The patronage and propositions 
of Ebrington have failed. The procrastination and economy of 
Russell have triumphed. Let a thanksgiving be proclaimed from the 
pulpit of St. Paul's. Let the Lords and Commons of England vote 
their gratitude to the vicious and victorious economist! Let the guns 
of London Tower proclaim the triumph which has cost, in the past, 
coffers of gold and torrents of blood, and, in this year masses of putre- 
faction to achieve. England! your great difficulty is at an end; your 
gallant and impetuous enemy is dead. Ireland, or rather the remains 
of Ireland are yours at last. Your red ensign floats, not from the 
Custom House, where you played the robber; not from Limerick wall, 
where you played the cut-throat ; but it flies from a thousand graveyards, 
where the titled niggards of your cabinet have won the battle which 
your soldiers could not terminate. Go; send your scourge steamer to 
the western coast to convey some memorial of your conquest; and in 
the halls where the flags and cannon you have captured from a world 
of foes are grouped together, there let a shroud, stripped from some 
privileged corpse, be for its proper price displayed. Stop not there; 
change your war crest; America has her eagle; let England have her 
vulture. What emblem more fit for the rapacious power whose states- 



Selections. 271 

manship depopulates, and whose commerce is gorged with famine 
prices? That is her proper signal. But whatever the monarch jour- 
nalists of Europe may say, Ireland, thank God, is not down yet. 

She is on her knee; but her hand is clinched against the giant, and 
she has yet power to strike. 

Last year from the Carpathian heights, we heard the cry of the 
Polish insurrectionists: "There is hope for Poland, while in Poland 
there is a life to lose." True it is, thousands upon thousands of our 
comrades have fallen: but thousands upon thousands still survive: 
and the fate of the dead shall quicken the purposes of the living. The 
stakes are too high for us to throw up the hand until the last card 
has been played; too high for us to throw ourselves in despair upon 
the coffins of our starved and swindled partners. A peasant population, 
generous and heroic, a mechanic population, honest and industrious, 
is at stake. 

They cannot, must not, be lost. (T. F. Meagher) 

<3ualbert'6 Dictor^ 

A mountain pass so narrow that a man 
Riding that way to Florence, stooping, can 
Touch with his hand the rocks on either side, 
And pluck the flowers that in the crannies hide. 

Here, on Good Friday, centuries ago, 
Mounted and armed, John Gualbert met his foe : 
Mounted and armed as well, but riding down 
To the fair city from the woodland brown, 
This way and that, swinging his jeweled whip, 
A gay old love-song on his careless lip, 
And on his charger's neck the reins loose thrown. 
An accidental meeting; but the sun 
Burned on their brows, as if it had been one 
Of deep design, — so deadly was the look 
Of mutual hate their olive faces took; 
As (knightly courtesy forgot in wrath), 
Neither would yield his enemy the path. 

"Back!" cried Gualberto. "Never!" yelled his foe. 
And on the instant, sword in hand, they throw 
Them from their saddles, nothing loath, 
And fall to righting, with a smothered oath. 
A pair of shapely stalwart cavaliers, 
Well matched in stature, weapons, weight, and years. 



272 Elements op Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Theirs was a long, fierce struggle on the grass, 
Thrusting and parrying up and down the pass; 
Swaying from left to right, in combat clenched, 
Till all the housings of their steeds were drenched, 
With brutal gore: and ugly blood-drops oozed 
Upon the rocks, from head and hand contused. 
But at the close, when Gualbert stopped to rest, 
His heel was planted on his foeman's breast; 
And looking up, the fallen courtier sees, 
As in a dream, gray rocks and waving trees 
Before his glazing vision faintly float, 
While Gualbert 's sabre glitters at his throat. 

"Now die, base wretch!" the victor fiercely cries, 
His heart of hate outflashing from his eyes: 
"Never again, by the all-righteous Lord! 
Shalt thou, with life, escape this trusty sword, — 
Revenge is sweet!" And upward glanced the steel 
But ere it fell, — dear Lord! a silvery peal 
Of voices chanting in the town below, 
Grave, ghostly voices chanting far below, 
Rose, like a fountain's from spires of snow, 
And chimed and chimed to die in echoes slow. 

In the sweet silence following the sound, 

Gualberto and the man upon the ground 

Glared at each other with bewildered eyes 

(The glare of hunted deer on leashed hound); 

And then the vanquished, struggling to arise, 

Made one last effort, while his face grew dark 

With pleading agony: "Gualberto! hark! 

The chant — the hour — thou know'st the olden fashion, 

The monks below intone our Lord's passion. 

Oh! by this cross!" — and here he caught the hilt 

Of Gualbert's sword, — and by the blood once spilt 

Upon it for us both, long years ago, 

Forgive — forgive — and spare a fallen foe!" 

The face that bent above grew white and set 
(Christ or the Demon? — in the balance hung): — 
The lips were drawn, — the brow bedewed with sweat, — 
But on the grass the harmless sword was flung: 
And stooping down the hero, generous wrung 
The outstreched hand. Then, lest he lose control 



Selections. 273 

Of the but half-tamed passions of his soul, 
Fled up the pathway, tearing casque and coat, 
To ease the tempest throbbing at his throat; 
Fled up the crags, as if a fiend pursued, 
And paused not till he reached a chapel rude. 

There in the cool, dim stillness, on his knees, 

Trembling, he flings himself, and, startled, sees 

Set in the rock a crucifix antique, 

From which the wounded Christ bends down to speak : 

" Thou hast done well, Gualberto. For My sake 

Thou didst forgive thine enemy; now take 

My gracious pardon for thy times of sin. 

And from this day a better life begin.'" 

White flashed the angels' wings above his head, 

Rare, subtile perfumes through the place were shed; 

And golden harps and sweetest voices poured 

Their glorious hosannas to the Lord, 

Who in that hour, and in that chapel quaint, 

Changed by His power, by His dear love's constraint 

Gualbert the sinner into John the saint. {Eleanor C. Donnelly) 

William Sbafcespeare 

Tradition says that Shakespeare was ever gentle to those of the 

persecuted Faith of his fathers : and his plays show it His speech 

is "saturated with the Scriptures." How could he help it? Had he 
not in the schoolroom gazed every day on the painted story of the Cross, 
and read everywhere, in spite of Henry VIII's barbarity, the symbo- 
lism of the church which had filled the life of England before the Re- 
formation with the beauty of God's word. Though the statues of the 
saints were broken, and their figures in the stained glass windows 
defaced, the church of the Holy Trinity, still pointed with its spire 
towards heaven. Even in Shakespeare's later time, all remembrance 
of the Sacramental Presence could not have faded out of Stratford. 
We can imagine Shakespeare walking in the gloaming towards this 
old church, with its Gothic windows and fretted battlements. The 
glow-worms waver near him as he comes through the avenue of green 
lime trees, near the beech- and yew-shaded graveyard. He has come 
by the shining Avon, from "the lonesome meadows beyond where the 
primroses stand in their golden banks among the clover, and the frilled 
and fluted bell of the cowslip, hiding its single drop of blood, closes its 
petals as the night comes down. " He pauses in the nave of the church 
and there in the soft glow, cast by the last shaft of glory from the set- 



274 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

ting sun, he sees that vacant place where, his father has told him, the 
tabernacle had been. It is gone. Perchance an old woman, who had 
seen the Faith in its glory, lies prostrate, sobbing before the despoiled 
altar whence her God has been torn. And then he murmurs, with his 
own dying Queen Katharine: 

"Spirits of peace, where are you? Are you all gone 
And leave me here in wretchedness behind ye?" 
— And, folding his hands at his back, he passes back through the sweet- 
scented lane, whose blossoms shall fall on his own coffin ere long. His 
e}^es are soft and hazel ; his cheeks are not as ruddy as when he laid the 
cloth for his father and mother in earlier days; his forehead is dome- 
like; he wears his customary suit of scarlet and black. So he goes to 
New Place, for which he has so long worked, to the demure Judith who 
waits for him, to his little chubby cheeked grandchild, Bess Hall. 
The antlers in the entry, the silver tankards on the sideboard, of which 
his wife and Judith are so proud, show dimly in the failing night; he 
murmurs the new song he has lately made for his play of " Cymbeline. " 

"Fear no more the heat o' the sun, 

Nor the furious winter's rages; 

Thou thy worldly task hast done, 

Home art gone and ta'en thy wages." 
A swan glides slowly to her nest among the reeds of the Avon. 
"The crimson drops i' the bottom of the cowslip," are now quite hid 
from the sight of the swallow that westward flies across the meadows. 
William Shakespeare, whom God gifted so gloriously, passes with the 
sadness of the gloaming in his soul. 

"And the rest is silence. " {Maurice F. Egan) 

HrnolD ItfflinkelrieD 

"Make way for liberty!" he cried; 
Made way for liberty, and died ! — 

It must not be: this day, this hour, 
Annihilates the oppressor's power! 
All Switzerland is in the field, 
She will not fly, she cannot yield — 
She must not fall; her better fate 
Here gives her an immortal date. 
Few were the numbers she could boast; 
But every freeman was a host, 
And felt as though himself were he, 
On whose sole arm hung victory. 



Selections. 275 

It did depend on one indeed; 
Behold him — Arnold Winkelried! 
There sounds not to the trump of fame 
The echo of a nobler name. 
Unmark'd he stood amid the throng, 
In rumination deep and long, 
Till you might see, with sudden grace, 
The very thought come o'er his face; 
And, by the motion of his form, 
Anticipate the bursting storm; 
And, by the uplifting of his brow, 
Tell where the bolt would strike, and how. 

But 'twas no sooner thought than done, 
The field was in a moment won: — 
"Make way for liberty!" he cried, 
Then ran, with arms extended wide, 
As if his dearest friend to clasp; 
Ten spears he swept within his grasp: 
"Make way for liberty!" he cried, 
Their keen points met from side to side; 
He bow'd amongst them like a tree, 
And thus made way for liberty. 

Swift to the breach his comrades fly; 
"Make way for liberty!" they cry. 
And through the Austrian phalanx dart, 
As rush'd the spears through Arnold's heart; 
While instantaneous as his fall, 
Rout, ruin, panic, scattered all: 
An earthquake could not overthrow 
A city with a surer blow. 

Thus Switzerland again was free; 
Thus death made way for liberty. (Montgomery) 

Cato's Soliloquy on ffmmortalitE 

It must be so: Plato, thou reasonest well! 
Else, whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire, 
This longing after immortality? 
Or, whence this secret dread, and inward horror, 
Of falling into nought? Why shrinks the soul 
Back on herself, and startles at destruction? 



276 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

*Tis the Divinity that stirs within us: 

'Tis heaven itself, that points out an hereafter, 

And intimates eternity to man. 

Eternity! thou pleasing, dreadful thought! 
Through what variety of untried being, 
Through what new scenes and changes must we pass! 
The wide, the unbounded prospect lies before me; 
But shadows, clouds, and darkness rest upon it. 

Here will I hold. If there's a power above us, 

(And that there is, all nature cries aloud, 

Through all her works,) He must delight in virtue: 

And that which he delights in must be happy. 

But when? or where? This world was made for Caesar! 

I'm weary of conjectures; this must end them. 

{Laying his hand on his sword) 

Thus, I am doubly armed. My death and life, 
My bane and antidote, are both before me. 
This in a moment brings me to an end ; 
But this informs me I shall never die. 

The soul secured in her existence, smiles 

At the drawn dagger, and defies its point. 

The stars shall fade away, the sun himself 

Grow dim with age, and nature sink in years; 

But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth, 

Unhurt, amidst the war of elements, 

The wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds. (Addison) 

Zhc ffamfne 

0, the long and dreary Winter! 
O, the cold and cruel Winter! 
Ever thicker, thicker, thicker, 
Froze the ice on lake and river, 
Ever deeper, deeper, deeper, 
Fell the snow o'er all the landscape, 
Fell the covering snow, and drifted 
Through the forest, round the village. 

Hardly from his buried wigwam 
Could the hunter force a passage: 
With his mittens and his snow-shoes 



Selections. 277 



Vainly walked he through the forest, 
Sought for bird or beast and found none, 
Saw no track of deer or rabbit, 
In the snow beheld no footprints, 
In the ghastly, gleaming forest 
Fell, and could not rise from weakness, 
Perished there from cold and hunger. 

O the famine and the fever! 
O the wasting of the famine! 
O the blasting of the fever! 
O the wailing of the children! 

the anguish of the women! 

All the earth was sick and famished; 
Hungry was the air around them, 
Hungry was the sky above them, 
And the hungry stars in heaven 
Like the eyes of wolves, glared at them ! 

Into Hiawatha's wigwam 
Came two other guests as silent 
As the ghosts were, and as gloomy, 
Waited not to be invited, 
Did not parley at the doorway. 
Sat there without word of welcome 
In the seat of Laughing Water; 
Looked with haggard eyes and hollow 
At the face of Laughing Water. 
And the foremost said: "Behold me! 

1 am Famine, Bukadawin!" 
And the other said: "Behold me\ 
I am Fever, Ahkosewin ! ' ' 

And the lovely Minnehaha 
Shuddered as they looked upon her, 
Shuddered at the words they uttered, 
Lay down on her bed in silence, 
Hid her face, but made no answer; 
Lay there trembling, freezing, burning, 
At the looks they cast upon her, 
At the fearful words they uttered. 

Forth into the empty forest 
Rushed the maddened Hiawatha; 
In his heart was deadly sorrow, 



278 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

In his face a stony firmness; 
On his brow the sweat of anguish 
Started, but it- froze and fell not. 
Wrapped in furs and armed for hunting, 
With his mighty bow of ash-tree, 
With his quiver full of arrows, 
With his mittens, Minjekahwun, 
Into the vast and vacant forest 
On his snow-shoes strode he forward. 
"Gitche Manito, the Mighty!" 
Cried he with his face uplifted 
In that bitter hour of anguish, 
"Give your children food, O Father! 
Give us food, or we must perish! 
Give me food for Minnehaha, 
For my dying Minnehaha!" 
Through the far-resounding forest, 
Through the forest vast and vacant 
Rang that cry of desolation, 
But there came no other answer 
Than the echo of his crying, 
Than the echo of the woodlands, 

' ' Minnehaha ! Minnehaha ! ' ' 

All day long roved Hiawatha 

In that melancholy forest, 

Through the shadow of whose thickets 

In the pleasant days of Summer, 

Of that ne'er forgotten Summer, 

He had brought his young wife homeward 

From the land of the Dakotahs; 

When the birds sang in the thickets, 

And the streamlets laughed and glistened, 

And the air was full of fragrance, 

And the lovely Laughing Water 

Said with voice that did not tremble, 

"I will follow you, my husband!" 

In the wigwam with Nokomis, 
With those gloomy guests that watched her, 
With the Famine and the Fever, 
She was lying, the Beloved, 
She, the dying Minnehaha. 



Selections. 279 

"Hark!" she said; "I hear a rushing, 

Hear a roaring and a rushing, 

Hear the Falls of Minnehaha 

Calling to me from a distance!" 

"No, my child!" said old Nokomis, 

" 'Tis the night -wind in the pine-trees!" 

"Look!" she said; "I see my father 

Standing lonely at his doorway, 

Beckoning to me from his wigwam 

In the land of the Dakotahs!" 

"No, my child!" said old Nokomis, 

" 'Tis the smoke, that waves and beckons!" 

"Ah!" said she, "the eyes of Pauguk 
Glare upon me in the darkness, 
I can feel his icy fingers 
Clasping mine amid the darkness! 
Hiawatha! Hiawatha!" 
And the desolate Hiawatha, 
Far away amid the forest, 
Miles away among the mountains, 
Heard that sudden cry of anguish, 
Heard the voice of Minnehaha 
Calling to him in the darkness, 
' ' Hiawatha ! Hiawatha ! ' ' 

Over snow-fields waste and pathless, 
Under snow-encumbered branches, 
Homeward hurried Hiawatha, 
Empty-handed, heavy-hearted. 
Heard Nokomis moaning, wailing: 
' ' Wahonowin ! Wahonowin ! 
Would that I had perished for you, 
Would that I were dead as you are. 
Wahonowin ! Wahonowin ! ' ' 
And he rushed into the wigwam, 
Saw the old Nokomis slowly 
Rocking to and fro and moaning, 
Saw his lovely Minnehaha 
Lying dead and cold before him, 
And his bursting heart within him 
Uttered such a cry of anguish, 



280 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

That the forest moaned and shuddered, 

That the very stars in heaven 

Shook and trembled with his anguish. 

Then he sat down, still and speechless, 
On the bed of Minnehaha, 
At the feet of Laughing Water, 
At those willing feet, that never 
More would lightly run to meet him, 
Never more would lightly follow ; 
With both hands his face he covered. 
Seven long days and nights he sat there, 
As if in a swoon he sat there, 
Speechless, motionless, unconscious 
Of the daylight or the darkness. 

Then they buried Minnehaha; 
In the snow a grave they made her, 
In the forest deep and darksome, 
Underneath the moaning hemlocks; 
Clothed her in her richest garments, 
Wrapped her in her robes of ermine, 
Covered her with snow, like ermine; 
Thus they buried Minnehaha. 
And at night a fire was lighted, 
On her grave four times was kindled. 
For her soul upon its journey 
To the Islands of the Blessed. 
From his doorway Hiawatha 
Saw it burning in the forest, 
Lighting up the gloomy hemlocks; 
From his sleepless bed uprising, 
From the bed of Minnehaha, 
Stood and watched it at the doorway, 
That it might not be extinguished, 
Might not leave her in the darkness. 

" Farewell!" said he, "Minnehaha! 
Farewell, O my Laughing Water! 
All my heart is buried with you, 
All my thoughts go onward with you! 
Come not back again to labor, 
Come not back again to suffer, 



Selections. 281 

Where the Famine and the Fever 

Wear the heart and waste the body. 

Soon my task will be completed, 

Soon your footsteps I shall follow 

To the Islands of the Blessed, 

To the Kingdom of Ponemah, 

To the Land of the Hereafter!" {Longfellow) 

Sempronius' Speecb of THIlar 

My voice is still for war. 

Gods! can a Roman senate long debate, 

Which of the two to choose, slavery or death? 

No, — ■ let us rise at once, gird on our swords, 

And, at the head of our remaining troops, 

Attack the foe, break through the thick array 

Of his thronged legions, and charge home upon him. 

Perhaps some arm more lucky than the rest 
May reach his heart, and free the world from bondage. 
Rise, Fathers, rise! 'tis Rome demands your help: 
Rise, and revenge her slaughtered citizens, 
Or share their fate. The corpse of half her Senate 
Manure the fields of Thessaly, while we 
Sit here, deliberating in cold debates, 
If we should sacrifice our lives to honor, 
Or wear them out in servitude and chains. 

Rouse up, for shame! Our brothers of Pharsalia 
Point out their wounds, and cry aloud — "To battle!" 
Great Pompey's shade complains that we are slow, 
And Scipio's ghost walks unrevenged among us. ^{(Addison) 

Zbe Demon of tbe Jure 

In the deepest death of midnight, 
While the sad and solemn swell 
Still was floating, faintly echoed 
From the forest's chapel bell; 
Faintly, faltering, floating, 
O'er the sable waves of air, 
That were through the midnight rolling, 
Chafed and billowy with the tolling, 



282 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

In my chamber I lay dreaming, 

And my dreams were dreams foreshadowed 

Of a heart foredoomed to care. 

As the last long lingering echo 

Of the midnight's mystic chime. 

Lisping through the sable billow 

Of the thither shore of time, 

Leaving on the starry silence 

Not a shadow nor a trace, 

In a quivering sigh departed 

From my couch, in fear, I started — 

Started to my feet in terror, 

For my dream's phantasmal error 

Painted in the fitful fire 

A frightful, fiendish, flaming face. 

On the red hearth's reddest centre, 
From the blazing knot of oak, 
Seemed to grin and gibe the phantom, 
As in terror I awoke. 
And my slumbering eyelids streaming, 
As I struggled to the floor — 
Still in that dread vision seeming, 
Turned my gaze toward the gleaming 
Hearth, and then, oh, God! I saw it. 
And from its flaming jaw it 
Spat a ceaseless, seething, hissing, 
Bubbling, gurgling stream of gore. 

Speechless, struck with stony silence, 

Frozen to the floor I stood, 

Till my very brain seemed hissing 

With that hissing, bubbling blood, 

Till I felt my life stream oozing, 

Oozing from those lambent lips, 

Till the demon seemed to name me, 

Then a wondrous calm o'ercame me, 

And I fell back on my pillow 

In apparent soul eclipse. 

Thus, as in death's seeming shadows, 

In the icy pall of fear, 

I lay stricken, came a hoarse and 

Hideous murmur to my ear; 



Selections. 283 

Came a murmur, like the murmur 

Of assassins in their sleep, 

Muttering higher, higher, higher, 

"I am demon of the fire, 

I am archfiend of the fire, 

And each blazing roof's thy pyre, 

And my sweetest incense is 

The blood and tears my victims weep. 

"How I revel on the prairie, 
How I roar amidst the pines, 
How I laugh, as from the village 
O'er the snow the red flame shines; 
How I hear the shrieks of terror, 
With a life in every breath; 
How I scream with lambent laughter, 
As I hurl each crackling rafter 
Down the fell abyss of fire, 
Until higher, higher, higher, 
Leap the high priests of my altar, 
In their merry dance of death. 

"I am monarch of the fire, 

I am royal King of death, 

World encircling with the shadow 

Of its doom upon my breath, 

With the symbol of hereafter 

Gleaming from my fatal face, 

I command the eternal fire, 

Higher, higher, higher, higher, 

Leap my ministering demons, 

Like phantasmagoric lemans, 

Hugging universal nature 

In their hideous embrace. " (E. A. Poe) 



284 Elements of Expression/ Vocal and Physical. 

Portia's plea tor /nbercE 

The quality of mercy is not strained; 

It droppeth, as the gentle rain from heaven, 

Upon the place beneath; it is twice blessed; 

It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes; 

'Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes 

The throned monarch better than his crown: 

His sceptre shows the force of temporal power, 

The attribute to awe and majesty, 

Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings; 

But mercy is above this sceptred sway; 

It is enthroned in the heart of kings; 

It is an attribute to God himself; 

And earthly power doth then show likest God's, 

When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew, 

Though justice be thy plea, consider this, 

That in the course of justice none of us 

Should see salvation. We do pray for mercy, 

And that same prayer doth teach us all to render 

The deeds of mercy. {Shakespeare) 

Gouseatnt X'Ouverture 

If I stood here to tell you the story of Napoleon, I should take it 
from the lips of Frenchmen, who find no language rich enough to paint 
the great captain of the nineteenth century. Were I to tell you the 
story of Washington, I should take it from your hearts, — you, who 
think no marble white enough on which to carve the name of the 
Father of his country. But I am to tell you the story of a negro 
who has left hardly one written line. I am to glean it from 
the reluctant testimony of Britons, Frenchmen, Spaniards, — 
men who despised him as a negro and a slave, and hated him because 
he had beaten them in battle. All the materials for his biography 
are from the lips of his enemies. Let us pause a moment, and find 
something to measure him by. You remember Macaulay says, com- 
paring Cromwell with Napoleon, that Cromwell showed greater mil- 
itary genius, if we consider that he never saw an army until he was 
forty; while Napoleon was educated from a boy in the best military 
schools in Europe. Cromwell manufactured his own army; Napoleon 
at the age of twenty-seven was placed at the head of the best troops 
Europe ever saw. They were both successful; but, says Macaulay, 



Selections. 285 

with such disadvantages, the Englishman showed the greater genius. 
Whether you allow the inference or not, you will at least grant that 
it is a fair mode of measurement. Apply it to this negro. Cromwell 
never saw an army till he was forty; this man never saw a soldier 
till he was fifty. Cromwell manufactured his own army — out of what? 
Englishmen, — the best blood in Europe. Out of the middle class 
of Englishmen — the best blood of the island. And with it he con- 
quered what? Englishmen, — their equals. This man manufactured 
his army out of what? Out of what you call the despicable race 
of Negroes, debased, demoralized by two hundred years of slavery, 
one hundred thousand of them, imported into the island within two 
years, unable to speak a dialect intelligible even to each other. Yet 
out of this mixed, and, as you say, despicable mass, he forged a thunder- 
' bolt and hurled it at what? At the proudest blood in Europe, the 
Spaniard, and sent him home conquered; at the most warlike blood 
in Europe, the French, and put them under his feet; at the pluckiest 
blood in Europe, the English, and they skulked home to Jamaica. 
Now, if Cromwell was a general, this man, at least, was a soldier. I 
know it was a small territory; it was not as large as the continent; 
but it was as large as that Attica, which, with Athens for a capital, 
has filled the earth with its fame for two thousand years. We measure 
genius by quality, not by quantity. 

Further, — Cromwell was only a soldier; his fame stopped there. 
Not one line in the statute-book of Britain can be traced to Cromwell; 
not one step in the social life of England finds its motive power in his 
brain. The state he founded went down with him to his grave. But 
this man no sooner put his hand on the helm of State than the ship 
steadied with an upright keel, and he began to evince a statesmanship 
as marvelous as his military genius. 

He was a negro. You say that is superstitious blood. He was un- 
educated. You say that makes a man narrow-minded. And yet — ■ 
a negro, and a slave — he took his place by the side of Roger Williams, 
and said to his committee: "Make it the first line of my constitution 
that I know no difference between religious beliefs." Now, blue-eyed 
Saxon, proud of your race, go back with me to the commencement of 
the century, and select what statesman you please. Let him be either 
American or European ; let him have a brain the result of six generations 
of culture; let him have the ripest training of university routine; let 
him add to it the better education of practical life; crown his temples 
with the silver locks of seventy years; and show me the man of Saxon 
lineage for whom his most sanguine admirer will wreathe a laurel rich 
as embittered foes have placed on the brow of this negro, — rare military 



286 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

skill, profound knowledge of human nature, content to blot out all 
party distinctions, and trust a State to the blood of its sons, — antici- 
pating Sir Robert Peel fifty years, and taking his station by the side of 
Roger Williams before any Englishman or American had won the right, 
— and yet this is the record which the history of rival states makes up 
for this inspired black of St. Domingo. 

Above the lust of gold, pure in private life, generous in the use of 
his power, it was against such a man that Napoleon sent his army, 
giving to General Leclerc (the husband of his beautiful sister Pauline) 
thirty thousand of his best troops, with orders to reintroduce slavery. 

Holland lent sixty ships. England promised by a special message 
to be neutral; and you know neutrality means sneering at freedom, 
and sending arms to tyrants. England promised neutrality, and the 
black looked out on the whole civilized world marshalled against him. 
America, full of slaves, of course was hostile, only the Yankee sold him 
poor muskets at a very high price. Mounting his horse, and riding to 
the eastern end of the island, Samana, he looked out on a sight such as 
no native had ever seen before. Sixty ships of the line, crowded by the 
best soldiers of Europe, rounded the point. They were soldiers who 
had never yet met an equal, whose tread, like Caesar's, had shaken 
Europe, — soldiers who had scaled the Pyramids, and planted the French 
banners on the walls of Rome. He looked a moment, counted the 
flotilla, let the reins fall on the neck of his horse, and, turning to Chris- 
tophe, exclaimed: "All France is come to Hayti; they can only come to 
make us slaves ; and we are lost ! ' ' He then recognized the only mistake 
of , his life, — his confidence in Bonaparte, which had led him to disband 
his army. 

Returning to the hills, he issued the only proclamation which bears 
his name and breathes vengeance: " My children, France comes to make 
us slaves. God gave us liberty; France has no right to take it away. 
Burn the cities, destroy the harvests, tear up the roads with cannon, 
poison the wells, show the white man the hell he comes to make;" — 
and he was obeyed. When the great William of Orange saw Louis 
XIV. cover Holland with troops, he said, "Break down the dikes; 
give Holland back to the ocean;" and Europe said, "Sublime!" When 
the Alexander saw the armies of France descend upon Russia, he said, 
" Burn Moscow, starve back the invaders; " and Europe said, " Sublime!' 
This black saw all Europe marshalled to crush him, and gave to his 
people the same heroic example of defiance. 

Some doubt the courage of the negro. Go to Hayti, and stand on 
those fifty thousand graves of the best soldiers France ever had, and 
ask them what they think of the negro's sword. And if that does 



Selections. 287 

not satisfy you, go to France, to the splendid mausoleum of the Counts 
of Rochambeau, and to the eight thousand graves of Frenchmen who 
skulked home under the English flag, and ask them. 

There never was a slave rebellion successful but once, and that was 
in St. Domingo. Every race has been sometime or other, in chains. 
But there never was a race that, weakened and degraded by such chattel 
slavery,, unaided, tore off its own fetters, forged them into swords and 
won its liberty on the battle-field, but one, and that was the black race 
of St. Domingo. 

I would call him Napoleon, but Napoleon made his way to empire 
over broken oaths and through a sea of blood. This man never broke 
his word. "No Retaliation" was his great motto and the rule of his 
life; and the last words uttered to his son in France were these: "My 
boy, you will one day go back to St. Domingo; forget that France 
murdered your father." I would call him Cromwell, but Cromwell 
was only a soldier, and the State he founded went down with him into 
his grave. I would call him Washington, but the great Virginian held 
slaves. This man risked his empire rather than permit the slave- 
trade in the humblest village of his dominions. 

You think me a fanatic to-night, for you read history, not with your 
eyes, but with your prejudices. But fifty years hence, when Truth gets 
a hearing, the Muse of History will put Phocion for the Greek and Brutus 
for the Roman. Hampden for England, Fayette for France, choose 
Washington as the bright, consummate flower of our earlier civilization, 
then, dipping her pen in the sunlight, will write in the clear blue, 
above them all, the name of the soldier, the statesman, the martyr, 
Toussaint L'Ouverture. (Wendell Phillips) 



Scene in a /ifcaDbouse 

Stay, jailer, stay, and hear my woe! 

She is not mad who kneels to thee; 
For what I'm now, too well I know, 

And what I was, and what should be. 
I'll rave no more in proud despair; 

My language shall be mild, though sad; 
But yet I firmly, truly swear, 

I am not mad, I am not mad ! 

My tyrant husband forged the tale, 

Which chains me in this dismal cell; 
My fate unknown, my friends bewail — 



288 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

O! jailer, haste that fate to tell: 
Oh! haste my father's heart to cheer. 

His heart at once 'twill grieve and glad 
To know, though kept a captive here, 

I am not mad, I am not mad. 

He smiles in scorn, and turns the key; 

He quits the grate; I knelt in vain; 
His glimmering lamp, still, still, I see — 

'Tis gone! and all is gloom again. 
Cold, bitter cold! — no warmth! no light! 

Life, all thy comforts once I had; 
Yet here I'm chained, this freezing night, 

Although not mad; no, no, not mad. 

'Tis sure some dream ; some vision vain; 

What! I, — the child of rank and wealth,- 
Am I the wretch who clanks this chain, 

Bereft of freedom, friends, and health? 
Ah! while I dwell on blessings fled, 

Which never more my heart must glad, 
How aches my heart, how burns my head ; 

But 'tis not mad; no, 'tis not mad. 

Hast thou, my child, forgot ere this, 

A mother's face, a. mother's tongue? 
She'll ne'er forget your parting kiss, 

Nor round her neck how fast you clung; 
Nor how with her you sued to stay; 

Nor how that suit your sire forbade ; 
Nor how — I'll drive such thoughts away; 

They'll make me mad, they'll make me mad. 

His rosy lips, how sweet they smiled! 

His mild blue eyes, how bright they shone! 
None ever bore a lovelier child: 

And art thou now forever gone? 
And must I never see thee more, 

My pretty, pretty, pretty lad! 
I will be free! unbar the door! 

I am not mad; I am not mad. 

Oh, hark! what mean those yells and cries; 

His chain some furious madman breaks; 
He comes, — I see his glaring eyes; 



Selections. 289 

Now, now, my dungeon grate he shakes. 
Help! help! — he's gone! — oh, fearful woe. 

Such screams to hear, such sights to see. 
My brain, my brain, — I know, I know, 

I am not mad, but soon shall be. 

Yes, soon; — for, lo! you, while I speak, 

Mark, how yon demon's eyeballs glare! 
He sees me; now, with dreadful shriek, 

He whirls a serpent high in air. 
Horror! the reptile strikes his tooth 

Deep in my heart, so crushed and sad; 
Aye, laugh, ye fiends! I feel the truth; 

Your task is done — I 'm mad! I'm mad! {Lewis) 

JBxccleiov 

The shades of night were falling fast, 
As through an Alpine village passed 
A youth, who bore, 'mid snow and ice, 
A banner with the strange device — 
Excelsior ! 

His brow was sad; his eye beneath 
Flashed like a falchion from its sheath; 
And like a silver clarion rung 
The accents of that unknown tongue — 
Excelsior ! 

In happy homes he saw the light 
Of household fires gleam warm and bright, 
Above, the spectral glaciers shone, 
And from his lips escaped a groan — 
Excelsior ! 

"Try not the pass, " the old man said: 
"Dark lowers the tempest overhead; 
The roaring torrent is deep and wide!" 
And loud that clarion voice replied, 
Excelsior ! 

"Oh, stay," the maiden said, "and rest 
Thy weary head upon this breast!" 
A tear stood in his bright blue eye, 
But still he answered with a sigh, 
Excelsior! 



290 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

"Beware the pine-tree's withered branch! 
Beware the awful avalanche I" 
This was the peasant's last good night: 
A voice replied, far up the height, 
Excelsior ! 

At break of day as heavenward 
The pious monks of St. Bernard 
Uttered the oft-repeated prayer, 
A voice cried through the startled air, 
Excelsior ! 

A traveler, by the faithful hound, 
Half-buried in the snow was found, 
Still grasping in his hand of ice 
That banner with the strange device, 
Excelsior ! 

There, in the twilight cold and gray, 
Lifeless, but beautiful, he lay, 
And from the sky, serene and far, 
A voice fell, like a falling star — 

Excelsior ! {Longfellow) 

Xtncoln's Gettysburg ftfcfcrese 

Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this 
continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the pro- 
position that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great 
civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and 
so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of 
that war. We are met to dedicate a portion of it as a final resting- 
place of those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. 

It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But 
in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot 
hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled 
here, have consecrated it far above our power to add or detract. The 
world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can 
never forget what they did here. * 

It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished 
work they have thus far so nobly carried on. It is rather for us to be 
here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these 
honored dead we take increased devotion to the cause for which they 



Selections. 291 

gave the last full measure of devotion ; that we here highly resolve that 
these dead shall not have died in vain, that the nation shall, under 
God, have a new birth of freedom, and that the government of the 
people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth. 

£be t>a$$ing ot tbe IRubicon 

A gentleman, Mr. President, speaking of Caesar's benevolent dis- 
position, and of the reluctance with which he entered into civil war, 
observes, "How long did he pause upon the brink of the Rubicon!" 
How came he to the brink of that river! How dared he cross it ! Shall 
private men respect the boundaries of private property, and shall a 
man pay no respect to the boundaries of his country's rights? How 
dared he cross that river! Oh! but he paused upon the brink! He 
should have perished upon the brink ere he had crossed it! Why did 
he pause? Why does a man's heart palpitate when he is on the point 
of committing an unlawful deed? Why does the very murderer, his 
victim sleeping before him, and his glaring eye, taking the measure of 
the blow, strike wide of the mortal part? Because of conscience! 
'Twas that made Caesar pause upon the brink of the Rubicon. Com- 
passion ! What compassion ! The compassion of an assassin, that feels 
a momentary shudder, as his weapon begins to cut! Caesar paused 
upon the brink of the Rubicon! What was the Rubicon? The bound- 
ary of Caesar's province. From what did it separate his province? 
From his country. Was that country a desert? No; it was cultivated 
and fertile; rich and populous. Its sons were men of genius, spirit, 
and generosity. Its daughters were lovely, susceptible, and chaste! 
Friendship was its inhabitant! Love was its inhabitant! Domestic 
affection was its inhabitant ! Liberty was its inhabitant ! All bounded 
by the stream of the Rubicon! What was Caesar, that stood upon the 
bank of that stream? A traitor, bringing war and pestilence into the 
heart of that country! No wonder that he paused — no wonder, if 
his imagination wrought upon by his conscience, he had beheld blood 
instead of water; and heard groans, instead of murmurs! No wonder, 
if some gorgon horror had turned him into stone upon the spot! But, 
no! — he cried, "The die is cast!" He plunged! — he crossed! — and 
Rome was free no more ! (Knowles) 



292 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

1TvtE 

Now glory to the Lord of hosts, from whom all glories are! 

And glory to our sovereign liege, King Henry of Navarre! 

Now let there be the merry sound of music and of dance, 

Through thy corn-fields green and sunny vines, O pleasant land of 

France ! 
And thou, Rochelle, our own Rochelle, proud city of the waters, 
Again let rapture light the eyes of all thy mourning daughters; 
As thou wert constant in our ills, be joyous in our joy; 
For cold and stiff and still are they who wrought thy walls' annoy. 
Hurrah! hurrah! a single field hath turned the chance of war! 
Hurrah! hurrah! for Ivry, and Henry of Navarre. 

Oh! how our hearts were beating, when, at the dawn of day, 

We saw the army of the league drawn out in long array; 

With all its priest-led citizens, and all its rebel peers, 

And Appenzell's stout infantry, and Egmont's Flemish spears, 

There rode the brood of false Lorraine, the curses of our land; 

And dark Mayenne was in the midst, a truncheon in his hand; 

And as we looked on them, we thought of Seine's empurpled flood, 

And good Coligni's hoary hair all dabbled with his blood; 

And we cried unto the living God, who rules the fate of war, 

To fight for His own holy name, and Henry of Navarre. 

The king is come to marshal us, all in his armor drest; 

And he has bound a snow-white plume upon his gallant crest. 

He looked upon his people and a tear was in his eye; 

He looked upon the traitors, and his glance was stern and high. 

Right graciously he smiled on us, as rolled from wing to wing, 

Down all our line, a deafening shout: God save our lord the king! 

"And if my standard-bearer fall, as fall full well he may — 

For never saw I promise yet of such a bloody fray — 

Press where ye see my white plume shine amidst the ranks of war, 

And be your oriflamme to-day the helmet of Navarre. " 

Hurrah! the foes are moving. Hark to the mingled din, 

Of fife, and steed, and trump, and drum, and roaring culverin. 

The fiery duke is pricking fast across Saint Andre's plain, 

With all the hireling chivalry of Guelder s and Almayne. 

Now by the lips of those ye love, fair gentlemen of France, 

Charge for the golden lilies — upon them with the lance! 

A thousand spurs are striking deep, a thousand spears in rest, 



Selections. 293 

A thousand knights are pressing close behind the snow-white crest; 
And in they burst, and on they rushed while, like a guiding star, 
Amidst the thickest carnage blazed the helmet of Navarre. 

Now, God be praised, the day is ours : Mayenne hath turned his rein ; 

D'Aumale hath cried for quarter; the Flemish count is slain; 

Their ranks are breaking like thin clouds before a Biscay gale; 

The field is heaped with bleeding steeds, and flags, and cloven mail. 

And then we thought on vengeance, and, all along our van, 

Remember Saint Bartholomew! was passed from man to man. 

But out spoke gentle Henry — "No Frenchman is my foe: 

Down, down, with every foreigner; but let your brethren go" — 

Oh ! was there ever such a knight, in friendship or in war, 

As our sovereign lord, King Henry, the soldier of Navarre? 

Right well fought all the Frenchmen who fought for France to-day; 

And many a lordly banner God gave them for a prey. 

But we of the religion have borne us best in fight; 

And the good lord of Rosny hath ta'en the cornet white — 

Our own true Maximilian the cornet white hath ta'en, 

The cornet white with crosses black, the flag of false Lorraine. 

Up with it high; unfurl it wide — that all the host may know 

How God hath humbled the proud house which wrought His church such 

woe. 
Then on the ground, while trumpets sound their loudest point of war, 
Fling the red shreds, a footcloth meet for Henry of Navarre. 

Ho ! maidens of Vienna ; ho ! matrons of Lucerne — 

Weep, weep, and rend your hair for those who never shall return. 

Ho! Philip, send, for charity, thy Mexican pistoles, 

That Antwerp monks may sing a mass for thy poor spearmen's souls. 

Ho! gallant nobles of the league, look that your arms be bright; 

Ho! burghers of St. Genevieve, keep watch and ward to-night; 

For our God hath crushed the tyrant, our God hath raised the slave, 

And mocked the counsel of the wise, and the valor of the brave. 

Then glory to his Holy name, from whom all glories are; 

And glory to our sovereign lord, King Henry of Navarre! (Macaulay) 



294 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

From TLfte battle of Warsaw 

Oh! sacred truth, thy triumph ceased awhile, 
And hope, thy sister, ceased with thee to smile, 
When leagued oppression poured to northern wars 
Her whiskered panders, and her fierce hussars, 
Wav'd her dread standard to the breeze of morn. 
Pealed her loud drum, and twanged her trumpet horn! 
Tumultuous horror brooded o'er her van, 
Presaging wrath to Poland and to man. 

Warsaw's last champion from her height surveyed, 

Wide o'er the fields, a waste of ruin laid; 

Oh, Heaven! he cried, my bleeding country save! 

Is there no hand on high to shield the brave? 

Yet, though destruction sweep these lovely plains, 

Rise, fellow- men! our country yet remains! 

By that dread name, we wave the sword on high, 

And swear for her to live, with her to die ! 

He said, and on the rampart heights arrayed, 
His trusty warriors, few, but undismayed; 
Firm-paced and slow, a horrid front they form, 
Still as the breeze, but dreadful as the storm; 
Low, murmuring sounds along their banners fly, 
Revenge or death! — the watchword and reply; 
Then pealed the notes omnipotent to charm, 
And the loud tocsin tolled their last alarm. 

In vain, alas! in vain, ye gallant few! 

From rank to rank your volleyed thunder flew; 

Oh, bloodiest picture in the ''book of time!" 

Sarmatia fell, unwept, without a crime! 

Found not a generous friend, a pitying foe, 

Strength in her arms, nor mercy in her woe! 

Dropped from her nerveless grasp the shattered spear, 

Closed her bright eye, and curbed her high career; 

Hope, for a season, bade the world farewell, 

And freedom shrieked as Kosciusko fell! (Campbell) 



Selections. 295 

From 1boratiU5 

But the consul's brow was sad, 

And the consul's speech was low, 
And darkly looked he at the wall, 

And darkly at the foe : 
"Their van will be upon us 

Before the bridge goes down; 
And if they once may win the bridge, 

What hope to save the town?" 

Then out spake brave Horatius, 

The captain of the gate: 
"To every man upon this earth 

Death cometh soon or late. 
And how can man die better 

Then facing fearful odds 
For the ashes of his fathers, 

And the temples of his gods? 

"And for the tender mother 

Who dandled him to rest, 
And for the wife who nurses 

His baby at her breast; 
And for the holy maidens 

Who feed the eternal flame — 
To save them from false Sextus 

That wrought the deed of shame? 

"Hew down the bridge, sir consul, 

With all the speed ye may; 
I, with two more to help me, 

Will hold the foe in play — 
In yon straight path a thousand 

May well be stopped by three. 
Now who will stand on either hand, 

And keep the bridge with me?" 

Then out spake Spurius I^artius — 

A Ramnian proud was he: 
Lo, I will stand at thy right hand, 

And keep the bridge with thee." 
And out spake strong Herminius — 

Of Titian blood was he: 



296 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

"I will abide on thy left side, 

And keep the bridge with thee. " 

"Horatius, " quoth the consul, 

"As thou sayest, so let it be." 
And straight against that great array 

Forth went the dauntless three. 
For Romans in Rome's quarrel 

Spared neither land nor gold, 
Nor son nor wife, nor limb nor life, 

In the brave days of old. 

Then none was for a party — 

Then all were for the state; 
Then the great man helped the poor, 

And the poor man loved the great; 
Then lands were fairly portioned 

Then spoils were fairly sold: 
The Romans were like brothers 

In the brave days of old. 

Now Roman is to Roman 

More hateful than a foe, 
And the tribunes beard the high, 

And the fathers grind the low. 
As we wax hot in faction, • 

In battle we wax cold; 
Wherefore men fight not as they fought 

In the brave days of old. 

Now while the three were tightening 

Their harness on their backs, 
The consul was the foremost man 

To take in hand an ax; 
And fathers, mixed with commons, 

Seized hatchet, bar, and crow, 
And smote upon the planks above, 

And loosed the props below. 

Meanwhile the Tuscan army, 

Right glorious to behold, 
Came flashing back the noonday light, 
Rank behind rank, like surges bright 

Of a broad sea of gold. 
Four hundred trumpets sounded 



Selections. 297 

A peal of warlike glee, 
As that great host, with measured tread, 

And spears advanced and ensigns spread, 
Rolled slowly toward the bridge's head, 

Where stood the dauntless three. 

The three stood calm and silent, 

And looked upon the foes, 
And a great shout of laughter 

From all the vanguard rose; 
And forth three chiefs came spurring 

Before that deep array; 
To earth they sprang, their swords they drew, 
And lifted high their shields, and flew 

To win the narrow way. 

Stout Lartius hurled down Aunus 

Into the stream beneath; 
Herminius struck at Seius, 

And clove him to the teeth; 
At Picus brave Horatius 

Darted one fiery thrust, 
And the proud Umbrian's gilded arms 

Clashed in bloody dust. 

Herminius smote, down Arnus; 

Lartius laid Ocnus low; 
Right to the heart of Lausulus 

Horatius sent a blow; 
"Lie there," he cried, "fell pirate! 

No more, aghast and pale. 
From Ostia's walls the crowd shall mark 
The track of thy destroying bark; 
No more Campania's hinds shall fly 
To woods and caverns, when they spy 

Thy thrice- accursed sail!" 

But now no sound of laughter 

Was heard among the foes; 
A wild and wrathful clamor 

From all the vanguard rose. 
Six spear's lenghts from the entrance 

Halted that deep array, 
And for a space no man came forth 

To win the narrow way. 



298 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

But, hark! the cry is Astur; 

And lo! the ranks divide; 
And the great lord of Luna 

Comes with his stately stride. 
Upon his ample shoulders 

Clangs loud the fourfold shield, 
And in his hand he shakes the brand 

Which none but he can wield. 
He smiled on those bold Romans, 

A smile serene and high; 
He eyed the flinching Tuscans, 

And scorn was in his eye. 
Quoth he, "The she- wolf's litter 

Stand savagely at bay; 
But will ye dare to follow, 

If Astur clears the way?" 
Then, whirling up his broadsword 

With both hands to the height, 
He rushed against Horatius, 

And smote with all his might. 
With shield and blade Horatius 

Right deftly turned the blow. 
The blow, though turned, came yet too nigh, 
It missed his helm, but gashed his thigh— 
The Tuscans raised a joyful cry 

To see the red blood flow. 
He reeled, and on Herminius 

He leaned one breathing space — 
Then, like a wild-cat mad with wounds, 

Sprang right at Astur 's face. 
Through teeth, and skull, and helmet, 

So fierce a thrust he sped, 
The good sword stood a hand-breath out 

Behind the Tuscan's head. 
On Astur' s throat Horatius 

Right firmly pressed his heel, 
And thrice and four times tugged amain, 

Ere he wrenched out the steel. 
"And see," he cried, "the welcome, 

Fair guests, that waits you here! 
What noble Lucymo comes next 

To taste our Roman cheer?" 



Selections. 299 

But at his haughty challenge 

A sullen murmur ran, 
Mingled with wrath, and shame, and dread, 

Along that glittering van. 
There lacked not men of prowess, 

Nor men of lordly race; 
For all Btruria's noblest 

Were round the fatal place. 

But all Ktruria's noblest 

Felt their hearts sink to see 
On the earth the bloody corpses, 

In the path the dauntless three, 
And from the ghastly entrance, 

Where those bold Romans stood, 
All shrank — like boys who, unaware, 
Ranging a wood to start a hare, 
Come to the mouth of the dark lair 
Where, growling low, a fierce old bear 

Lies amidst bones and blood. 

Was none who would be foremost 

To lead such dire attack; 
But those behind cried "Forward!" 

And those before cried "Back!" 
And backward now, and fore ward, 

Wavers the deep array; 
And on the tossing sea of steel 
To and fro the standards reel, 
And the victorious trumpet-peal 

Dies fitfully away. 

Yet one man for one moment 

Strode out before the crowd; 
Well known was he to all the three, 

And they gave him greeting loud: 
"Now welcome, welcome, Sextus! 

Now welcome to thy home! 
Why dost thou stay, and turn away? 

Here lies the road to Rome." 

Thrice looked he at the city; 

Thrice looked he at the dead; 



3oo Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

And thrice came on in fury, 

And thrice turned back in dread; 

And, white with fear and hatred; 
Scowled at the narrow way 

Where, wallowing in a pool of blood, 
The bravest Tuscans lay. 

But meanwhile axe and lever 

Have manfully been plied. 
And now the bridge hangs tottering 

Above the boiling tide. 
"Come back, come back, Horatius!" 

Loud cried the fathers all — 
"Back Lartius! back, Herminius! 

Back, ere the ruin fall!" 

Back darted Spurius Lartius — 

Herminius darted back; 
And, as they passed, beneath their feet 

They felt the timbers crack. 
But when they turned their faces, 

And on the farther shore 
Saw brave Horatius stand alone, 

They would have crossed once more; 

But with a crash like thunder 

Fell every loosened beam, 
And, like a dam, the mighty wreck 

Lay right athwart the stream; 
And a long shout of triumph 

Rose from the walls of Rome, 
As to the highest turret-tops 

Was splashed the yellow foam. 

Alone stood brave Horatius, 

But constant still in mind — 
Thrice thirty thousand foes before, 

And the broad flood behind. 
"Down with him!" cried false Sextus, 

With a smile on his pale face; 
"Now yield thee," cried Lars Porsena, 

"Now yield thee to our grace!" 

Round turned he, as not deigning 
Those craven ranks to see ; 



Selections. 301 



Naught spake he to Lars Porsena, 
To Sextus naught spake he; 

But he saw on Palatinus 

The white porch of his home; 

And he spake to the noble river 

That rolls by the towers of Rome: 

"O Tiber! father Tiber! 

To whom the Romans pray, 
A Roman's life, a Roman's arms, 

Take thou in charge this day!" 
So he spake, and, speaking sheathed 

The good sword by his side, 
And, with his harness on his back, 

Plunged headlong in the tide. 

But fiercely ran the current, 

Swollen high by months of rain, 

And fast his blood was flowing; 
And he was sore in pain. 

And heavy with his armor, 

And spent with changing blows; 

And oft they thought him sinking, 
And still again he rose. 

Never, I ween, did swimmer, 

In such an evil case, 
Struggle through such a raging flood 

Safe to the landing-place; 
But his limbs were borne up bravely 

By the brave heart within, 
And our good father Tiber 

Bare bravely up his chin. 

"Curse on him!" quoth false Sextus. — 

"Will not the villain drown? 
But for this stay, ere close of day 

We should have sacked the town!" 
Heaven help him!" quoth Lars Porsena, 

"And bring him safe to shore; 
For such a gallant feat of arms 

Was never seen before. " 

And now he feels the bottom; 
Now on dry earth he stands; 



302 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physicai,. 

Now round him throng the fathers 

To press his gory hands; 
And now, with shouts and clapping, 

And noise of weeping loud, 
He enters through the river-gate, 

Borne by the joyous crowd. (Macaulay) 

TZbe priest's Xeap 

The priest is out upon the hill before the dawn of day; 

Through shadows deep, o'er rugged ground, he treads his painful way, 

A peasant's homely garb he wears, that none but friendly eyes 

May know who dares to walk abroad, beneath that rough disguise. 

Inside his coat, and near his heart, lies what he treasures most, 

For there a tiny silver shrine contains the Sacred Host. 

Adoring as he goes, he seeks a cabin low and rude, 

To nourish there a fainting soul with God's appointed food; 

For so it is, within the land whose brave and faithful race 

In other days made all the isle a bright and holy place. 

Its temples are in ruins now, its altars overthrown, 

Its hermit's cells in cliff and cave are tenantless and lone: 

The ancient race are broken down, their powers are passed away. 

Poor helots, plundered and despised, they tread the soil to-day, 
But yet, though fallen their fortunes be, though want, and woe, and ill 
Close hid, and fondly loved, they keep their priests among them still — 
Their faithful priests, why, though by law condemned, denouncedjand 

banned, 
Will not forsake their suffering flocks, or quit the stricken land. 
The morning brightens as he goes, the little hut is near, 
When runs a peasant to his side, and speaks into his ear. 
"Fly, Father, flyl" the spies are out: ' 'they've watched you on your 

way: 
They've brought the soldiers on your track, to seize you or to slay. 
Quick, Father, dear! here stands your horse; no whip or spur he'll need; 
Mount you at once upon his back, and put him to his speed, 
And then, what course you'd better take 'tis God alone that knows — 
Before you spreads a stormy sea, behind you come your foes; 
But mount at once and dash away; take chance for field or flood. 
And God may raise His hand to-day to foil those men of blood." - 

Up sprang the priest; away he rode, but ere a mile was run, 
Right in his path he saw the flash of bayonets in the sun: 



Selections. 303 

He turned his horse's head, and sped along the way he came, 
But Oh! there too his hunters were, fast closing on their game! 
Straightforward then he faced his steed, and urged him with his hand, 
To where the cliff stood high and clear sheer above the sea-beach strand. 
Then from the soldiers and the spies arose a joj^ul cheer, 
Their toilsome chase was well-nigh o'er the wished-for end was near; 
They stretched their eager hands to pluck the rider from his seat — 
A few more lusty strides and they might swing him to their feet: 
For now betwixt him and the verge are scarce ten feet of ground — 
But stay! — Good God! — Out o'er the cliff the horse is seen to bound! 
The soldiers hasten to the spot, they gaze around below, 
No splash disturbs the waves that keep their smooth and even flow; 
From their green depths no form of man or horse is seen to rise, 
Far down upon the stony strand no mangled body lies: 
"Look up! Look up!" a soldier shouts, "'O! what a sight is there! 
Behold the priest, on horseback still, is speeding through the air!" 
They look and lo ! the words were true, and, trembling with affright, 
They saw the vision pierce the blue, and vanish from their sight. 

Three miles away across the bay a group with wondering eyes 
Saw some strange speck come rushing fast towards them from the skies, 
A bird they deemed it first to be ; they watched its course, and soon 
They deemed it some black burning mass flung from the sun or moon. 
It neared the earth — their hearts beat fast — they held their breath with 

awe, 
As clear, and clearer still — the horse — and then — the man — they saw; 
They shut their eyes, they stopped their ears to spare their hearts the 

shock 
As steed and rider both came down and struck the solid rock; 
Aye, on the solid rock they struck, but never made a sound; 
Xo horrid mass of fiesb and blood was scattered all around; 
For when the horse fell on his knees, and when the priest was thrown 
A little forward, and his hands came down upon the stone, 
That instant by God's potent will, the flinty face became 
Like moistened clay or wax that yields before a glowing flame. 
Unhurt, unharmed, the priest arose, and with a joyful start 
He pressed his hand upon his breast — the Host was near his heart. 

Long years have passed away since then, in sun, and wind, and/ain, 
But still of that terrific leap the wondrous mark remains, 
On the high cliff from which he sprang — now deemed a sacred place — 
The prints left by the horse's hoofs are plain for all to trace; 
And still the stone where he alit whoever likes may view, 



304 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

And see the signs and tokens there that proved the story true, 
May feel and count each notch and line, may measure, if he please, 
The dint made by the horse's head, the grooves sunk by his knees, 
And place his fingers in the holes — for there they are to-day — 
Made by the fingers of the priest who leaped across the bay. {Sullivan) 

JBernarDo Del Carpio 

The warrior bowed his crested head and tamed his heart of fire, 

And sued the haughty king to free his long-imprisoned sire; 

"I bring thee here my fortress keys, I bring my captive train; 

I pledge thee faith: — my liege, my lord, oh, break my father's chain!" 

"Rise! rise! even now thy father comes, a ransomed man this day; 

Mount thy good steed, and thou and I will meet him on his way." 

Then lightly rose that loyal son, and bounded on his steed. 

And urged, as if with lance in rest, his charger's foamy speed. 

And lo! from far, as on they pressed, there camea glittering band, 

With one that midst them stately rode, like a leader in the land. 

"Now haste, Bernardo, haste! for there, in very truth, is he, 

The father whom thy faithful heart hath yearned so long to see." 

His proud breast heaved, his dark eye flashed, his cheeks' hue came and 

went; 
He reached that gray-haired chieftain's side, and there dismounting bent 
A lowly knee to earth he bent — his father's hand he took; 
What was there in its touch that all his fiery spirit shook? 
That hand was cold! a frozen thing! — it dropped from his like lead: 
He looked up to the face above — the face was of the dead! 
A plume waved o'er his noble brow — that brow was fixed and white! 
He met at length his father's eyes — but in them was no sight! 
Up from the ground he sprang, and gazed: but who can paint that gaze? 
They hushed their very hearts who saw its horror and amaze : 
They might have chained him, as before that stony form he stood; 
For the power was stricken from his arm, and from his lip the blood 
"Father!" at length he murmured low, and wept like childhood then — 
Talk not of grief till thou hast seen the tears of warlike men. 
He thought on all his glorious hopes, on all his young renown, 
Then flung the falchion from his side, and in the dust sat down; 
There, covering with his steel-gloved hand his darkly mournful brow, 
"No more, there is no more," he said, "to lift the sword for now; 
My king is false! my hope betrayed! my father — oh, the worth, 
The glory, and the loveliness, are passed away from earth! 
I thought to stand where banners waved, my sire, beside thee yet; 



Selections. 305 

I would that there, on Spain's free soil, our kindred blood had met; 

Thou wouldst have known my spirit then, for thee my fields were won — 

And thou hast perished in thy chains, as though thou hadst no son!" 

He started from the ground once more, and seized the monarch's rein, 

Amid the pale and, wildered looks of all the courtier train, 

With a fierce, o'ermastering grasp, the rearing war-horse led, 

And sternly set them face to face — the king before the dead! 

"Came not I forth, upon thy pledge, my father's hand to kiss? 

Be still! and gaze thou on, false king! and tell me, what is this? 

The look, the voice the heart I sought — give answer, Where are they? 

If thou wouldst clear thy perjured soul; send life through this cold clay! 

Into these glassy eyes but light: be still, keep down thine ire; 

Bid those lips a blessing speak — this earth is not thy sire! 

Give me back him for whom I strove, for whom my blood was shed! 

Thou canst not — and a king? his dust be mountains on thy head!" 

He loosed the steed — his slack hand fell; — upon the silent face 

He cast one long, deep troubled glance, then turned from that sad place. 

Despair, and grief, and baffled love, o'erwhelmed his soul at last. 

The time for vengeance will arrive, when sorrow's hour is past. 

(Mrs. Hemans) 

XLhc IRaven 

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, 
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, 
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,. 
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. 
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door; 
Only this, and nothing more." 

Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December. 
And each separate, dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. 
Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to borrow 
From my books surcease of sorrow, sorrow for the lost Lenore, 
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore, 
Nameless here f 01 evermore. 

And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain 
Thrilled me, filled me, with fantastic terrors never felt before; 
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating, 
"'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door, 
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; 
This it is, and nothing more." 



306 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, 
"Sir," said I, "or madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; 
But the fact is, I was napping, and so gently you came rapping 
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door, 
That I scarce was sure I heard you. " Here I opened wide the door; — 
Darkness there, and nothing more. 

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, 
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before; 
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, 
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore;" 
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore." 
Merely this, and nothing more. 

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning, 
Soon again I heard a tapping, something louder than before. 
"Surely," said I, "surely, that is something at my window lattice; 
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore; 
Let my heart be still a moment, and this myster}?- explore; 
'Tis the wind, and nothing more. " 

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter. 
In there stepped a stately raven, of the saintly days of yore. 
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or staid he; 
But with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door, 
Perched upon a bust of Pallas, just above my chamber door; 
Perched, and sat, and nothing more. 

Then this ebon bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, 
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore, 
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, " art sure no 

craven, 
Ghastly, grim, and ancient raven, wandering from the Nightly shore, 
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore." 
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore." 

Much I marveled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly, 
Though its answer little meaning, little relevancy bore; 
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being 
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door, 
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door, 
With such name as "Nevermore." 



Selections. 307 

But the raven, sitting lonely on that placid bust, spoke only 
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour. 
Nothing further then he uttered; not a feather then he fluttered; 
Till I scarcely more than muttered, "Other friends have flown before; 
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before. " 
Then the bird said, "Nevermore." 

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken, 
"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store, 
Caught from some unhappy master, whom unmerciful disaster 
Followed fast and followed faster, till his songs one burden bore, 
Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore, 
Of 'Never — nevermore' " 

But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling, 
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door; 
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking 
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore, 
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore 
Meant in croaking, "Nevermore." 

Thus I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing 
To the fowl, w^hose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core; 
Thus and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining 
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamplight gloated o'er, 
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamplight gloating o'er, 
She shall press, ah, nevermore. 

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer, 
Swung by Seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted floor. 
"Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee by these angels he hath 

sent thee 
Respite — respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore! 
Quaff, O quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!" 
Quoth the raven "Nevermore." 

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! — prophet still, if bird or devil! 
Whether tempter sent, or tempest tossed thee here ashore 
Desolate, yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted, 
On this home by Horror haunted — tell me truly, I implore — 
Is there — is there balm in Gilead? — tell me — tell me, I implore!" 
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore." 



308 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil — prophet still, if bird or devil! 
By that heaven that bends above us — by that God we both adore — 
Tell this soul with sorrow laden, if, within the distant Aiden, 
It shall clasp a sainted maiden, whom the angels name Lenore — 
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels name Lenore?" 
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore." 

"Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!" 1 shrieked, upstart- 
ing— 
"Get thee back into the tempest and the night's Plutonian shore! 
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! 
Leave my loneliness unbroken! — quit the bust above my door! 
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door ! " 
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore." 

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting 
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; 
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming; 
And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; 
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor, 
Shall be lifted — nevermore! (E. A. Poe) 



Gbe ©ID Surgeon's &toiy 

'Twas in a Southern hospital, a month ago or more, 

(God save us! how the days drag on these weary times of war!) 

They brought me, in the sultry noon, a youth whom they had found 

Deserted by his regiment upon the battle-ground, 

And bleeding his young life away through many a gaping wound. 

Dark-haired and slender as a girl, a handsome lad was he, 
Despite the pallor of his wounds, each one an agony, 
A ball had carried off his arm, and zigzag passage frayed 
Into his chest; so wild a rent, that, when it was displayed, 
I, veteran surgeon that I was, turned white as any maid. 

"There is no hope?" he slowly said, noting my changing cheek; 
I only shook my head; I dared not trust myself to speak. 
But in that wordless negative the boy had read his doom, 
And turned about, as best he could, and lay in silent gloom, 
Watching the summer sunlight make a glory of the room. 



Selections. * 309 

"My little hero!" said a voice, and then a woman's hand 
Lay, like a lily on his curls: "God grant you self-command!" 
"Mother!" — how full that thrilling word of , pity and alarm! 
"You here? my sweetest mother here? " And with his one poor arm 
He got about her neck, and drew her down with kisses warm. 

"All the long sultry night, when out" (he shuddered as he said) 
"On yonder field I lay among the festering heaps of dead, 
With awful faces close to mine, and clots of bloody hair, 
And dead eyes gleaming through the dusk with such a rigid stare: 
Through all my pain, O mother mine, I only prayed one prayer. 

"Through all my pain (and ne'er I knew what suffering was before) 
1 only prayed to see your face, to hear your voice, once more; 
The cold moon shone into my eyes, — my prayer seemed all in vain." 
"My poor deluded boy!" she sobbed; her mother-fount of pain 
Overflowing down her darkening cheeks in drops like thunder-rain. 

"Accursed be he whose cruel hand has wrought my son such ill!" 
The boy sprung upright at the word, and shrieked aloud, "Be still! 
You know not what you say. O God ! how shall I tell the tale ! 
How shall I smite her as she stands!" And with a moaning wail 
He prone among the pillows dropped, his visage ashen pale. 

"It was a bloody field," he said, at last, like one who dozed; 

"I know not how the day began; I know not how it closed. 

I only know we fought like fiends, begrimed with blood and dust. 

And did our duty to a man, as every soldier must; 

And gave the rebels ball for ball, and paid them thrust for thrust. 

"But when our gallant general rode up and down the line, 
The sunlight striking on his sword until it flashed like wine, 
And cried aloud (God rest his soul!) with such a cheery laugh: 
'Charge bayonets, boys! Pitch into them, and scatter them like chaff !' 
One half our men were drunk with blood, and mad the other half. 

"My veins ran fire. O heaven! hide the horrors of that plain! 
We charged upon the rebel ranks and cut them down like grain. 
One fair-haired man ran on my steel, — I pierced him through and 

through ; 
The blood up spurted from his wound and sprinkled me like dew. 
'Twas strange, but as I looked, I thought of Cain and him he slew. 

"Some impulse moved me to kneel down and touch him where he fell: 
I turned him o'er, — I saw his face, — the sight was worse than hell! 
There lay my brother — curse me not! — pierced by my bayonet!' 



310 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical 

— O Christ! the pathos of that cry I never shall forget, — 
Men turned away to hide their tears, for every eye was wet. 

"And the hard-featured woman-nurse, a sturdy wench was she, 

Dropped down among us in a swoon, from very sympathy. 

— "I saw his face, the same dear face which once (would we had died 

In those old days of innocence!) was ever by my side, 

At board or bed, at book or game, so fresh and merry-eyed. 

"And now to see it white and set, — to know the deed was mine! 

A madness seized me as I knelt, accursed in God's sunshine. 

I did not heed the balls which fell around us thick as rain, 

I did not know my arm was gone; I felt nor wound nor pain! 

I only stooped and kissed those lips which ne'er would speak again. 

"Oh, Louis! (and the lad looked up and brushed a tear aside) 
"Oh, Louis, brother of my soul! my boyhood's fearless guide! 
By the bright heaven where thou stand'st, — by thy big-hearted faith, — 
By these the tears our mother sheds, — by this my failing breath, 
Forgive me for that murderous thrust that wounded thee to death. 

"Forgive me! I would yield my life, to give thee thine, my brother! 
What's this? Don't shut the sunlight out; I cannot see my mother! 
The air blows sweet from yonder field! Dear Lou, put up your sword. 
Let's weave a little daisy-chain upon this pleasant sward — " 
And with a smile upon his mouth, the boy slept in the Lord. 

{Eleanor C. Donnelly) 

Xtttle^im 

The cottage was a thatched one, the outside old and mean, 
But all within that little cot was wondrous neat and clean; 
The night was dark and stormy, the wind was howling wild, 
As a patient mother sat beside the death-bed of her child: 
A little worn-out creature, his once bright eyes grown dim: 
It was a collier's wife and child, they called him little Jim. 

And ohi to see the briny tears fast hurrying down her cheek, 
As she offered up the prayer, in thought, she was afraid to speak, 
Lest she might waken one she loved far better than her life; 
For she had all a mother's heart, had that poor collier's wife. 
With hands uplifted, see, she kneels beside the sufferer's bed, 
And prays that He would spare her boy, and take herself instead. 



Selections. 3 1 1 

She gets her answer from the child: soft fall the words from him: 

"Mother, the angels do so smile, and beckon little Jim; 

I have no pain, dear mother, now, but, oh ! I am so dry, 

Just moisten poor Jim's lips again, and, mother, don't you cry." 

With gentle, trembling haste she held the liquid to his lips; 

He smiled to thank her, as he took each little, tiny sip. 

"Tell father, when he comes from work, I said good-night to him, 
And, mother, now I'll go to sleep." Alas! poor little Jim! ' 
She knew that he was dying; that the child she loved so dear 
Had uttered the last words that she might ever hope to hear. 
The cottage door is opened, the collier's step is heard, 
The father and the mother meet, yet neither speak a word. 

He felt that all was over, he knew his child was dead, 
He took the candle in his hand, and walked toward the bed; 
His quivering lips gave token of the grief he'd fain conceal, 
And see, his wife has joined him — the stricken couple kneel; 
With hearts bowed down by sadness, they humbly ask of Him 
In heaven once more to meet again their own poor little Jim. 

(Miss A. 0. Briggs) 

Zbe Convict'e Gbristmas JEvc 



The term was done; my penalty was past; 
I saw the outside of the walls at last. 
When I left that stone punishment of sin, 
'Twas 'most as hard as when I first went in. 
It seemed at once as though the swift- voiced air 
Told slanderous tales about me everywhere; 
As if the ground itself was shrinking back 
For fear 'twould get the Cain's mark of my track. 

Men looked me over with close, careless gaze, 
And understood my downcast, jail-bred ways. 
My hands were so grime-hardened and defiled. 
I really would'nt have dared to pet a child; 
If I had spoken to a dog that day, 
He would have tipped his nose and walked away; 
The world itself seemed to me every bit 
As hard a prison as the one I'd quit. 



312 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

So I trudged around appropiately slow 

For one with no particular place to go. 

The houses scowled and stared as if to say: 

"You jail-bird, we are honest; walk away!" 

The factory seemed to scream when I came near, 

"Stand back! unsentenced men are working here!" 

And virtue had th' appearance all the time 

Qf trying hard to push me back to crime. 

It struck me strange, that stormy, snow-bleached day, 

To watch the different people on the way, 

All carrying bundles, of all sorts of sizes, 

As carefully as gold and silver prizes. 

Well-dressed or poor, I could not understand 

Why each one hugged a bundle in his hand. 

I asked an old policeman what it meant. 

He looked me over with eyes shrewdly bent, 

While muttering in a voice that fairly froze: 

"It's cause to-morrow's Christmas, I suppose." 

And then the fact came crashing over me, 

How horribly alone a man can be. 

I don't pretend what tortures yet may wait 

For souls that have not run their reckonings straight; 

It isn't for mortal ignorance to say 

What kind of night may follow any day; 

There may be pain for sin some time found out 

That sin on earth knows nothing yet about; 

But I don't think there's any harbor known 

Worse for a wrecked soul than to be alone. 

So evening saw me straggling up and down 

Within the gayly-lighted, desolate town, 

A hungry, sad-hearted hermit all the while, 

My rough face begging for a friendly smile. 

Folks talked with folks in new-made warmth and glee. 

But no one had a word or look for me; 

Love flowed like water, but it could not make 

The world forgive me for my one mistake. 

An open church some look of welcome wore; 
I crept in soft, and sat down near the door. 
I'd never seen, 'mongst my unhappy race 
So many happy children in one place; 



Selections. 313 

I never knew how much a hymn could bring 
From heaven, until I heard those children sing; 
I never saw such sweet-breathed gales of glee 
As swept around that fruitful Christmas-tree. 

You who have tripped through childhood's merry days 
With passionate love protecting all your ways, 
Who did not see a Christmas-time go by 
Without some present for your sparkling eye, 
Thank God, whose goodness gave such joy its birth, 
And scattered heaven-seeds in the dust of earth! 
In stone-paved ground my thorny field was set; 
I never had a Christmas present yet. 

Just then a cry of "Fire" amongst us came; 
The pretty Christmas-tree was all aflame; 
And one sweet child there in our startled gaze 
Was screaming, with her white clothes all ablaze. 
The crowd seemed crazy-like, both old and young, 
And very swift of speech, though slow of tongue. 
But one knew what to do, and not to say, 
And he a convict, just let loose that day. 

I fought like one who deals in deadly strife; 

I wrapped my life around that child's sweet life; 

I choked the flames that choked her, with rich cloaks, 

Stol'n from some good but very frightened folks; 

I gave the dear girl to her parents' sight, 

Unharmed by anything excepting fright; 

I tore the blazing branches from the tree; 

And all was safe, and no one hurt but me. 

That night, of which I asked for sleep in vain — 

That night, that tossed me round on prongs of pain, 

That stabbed me with fierce tortures through and through, 

Was still the happiest that I ever knew. 

I felt that I at last had earned a place 

Among my race, by suffering for my race; 

I felt the glorious facts wouldn't let me miss 

A mother's thanks — perhaps a child's sweet kiss; 

That man's warm gratitude would find a plan 

To lift me up, and help me be a man. 

Next day they brought a letter to my bed. 
I opened it with tingling nerves and read: 



314 Elements of Expression, Vocal and Physical. 

"You have upon my kindness certain claims 
For rescuing my young child from the flames; 
Such deeds deserve a hand unstained by crime; 
I trust you will reform while yet there's time. 
The blackest sinner may find mercy still. 
(Inclosed please find a thousand dollar bill.) 
Our paths of course on different roads must lie; 
Don't follow me for any more. Good-bye." 

I scorched the dirty rag till it was black; 

Inclosed it in a rag and sent it back. 

That very night I cracked a tradesman's door. 

Stole with my blistered hands ten thousand more, 

Which next day I took special pains to send 

To my good, distant, wealthy, high-toned friend, 

And wrote upon it in a steady hand, 

In words I hoped he wouldn't misunderstand: 

"Money is cheap, as I have shown you here, 

But gratitude and sympathy is dear. 

These rags are stolen — have been — may often be; 

I trust the one wasn't that you sent to me. 

Hoping your pride and you are reconciled — 

From the black, sinful rescuer of your child/ ' 

I crept to court — a crushed, triumphant worm — 

Confessed the theft, and took another term. 

My life closed, and began; and I am back 

Among the rogues that walk the broad-gauged track 

I toil 'mid every sort of sin that's known; 

I walk rough roads— but do not walk alone! (Carleton) 



ALPHABETICAL INDEX. 



Page 

Action 10 

Cicero on 10 

Quintilian on -10 

St. Francis of Sales on . . . 1 1 

Anticlimax 16 

Articulation 25 

Barber on 25 

Exercises in 28 

Attitude 13 

First 16 

Second 18 

Third 21 

Fourth 22 

Breathing 1 

Exercises in 3 

Kofler on 2 

Correct Mode of 1 

Clasped Hand 132 

Climax 167 

Clinched Hand 132 

Consonants, Table of 27 

Delsarte's Laws 75 

Diphthongs, Table of 26 

Elementary Sounds, Table of 26 

Emotions, Cultivation of . . . . 54 

Emphasis 152 

Modes of 158 

Observations on 164 

Rules for 155 

Excited Position 17 

Eyes 174 



Page 

Nine Attitudes of 174 

in Reading 174 

Force as a Mode of Empha- . 

sis 159 

Definition of 59 

Degrees of 64 

Forms of 60 

Judicious Use of 70 

Dr. Rush on 59 

Gesture, Definition of 54 

Delsarte's Laws of 75 

Planes of 122 

Gestures of Different Mem- 
bers 171 

Hand, Quintilian on 171 

Head 171 

Attitudes of . 171 

Ictus 124 

Index Hand 131 

Inflexion 88 

Circumflex 90 

Falling 90 

Rising 88 

As a Mode of Emphasis . . 161 

Law of Altitude 77 

of Duration 76 

of Force 77 

of Opposition 75 

of Succession 75 

of Velocity 76 

Members, Gesture of different 171 



Page 

Military Position 22 

Mouth 176 

Notation of Gesture 122 

Pause 178 

Csesural 193 

Final 193 

Influence of 178 

Rules for 180 

Personation 199 

Pitch 79 

High 80 

Low 83 

Middle 82 

Planes of Gesture 122 

Poetic Reading 188 

Metre or feet 1 90 

Position 13 

Unexcited 13 

Excited 17 



Page 

Military 22 

of Fingers 124 

Prone Hand 128 

Pronunciation 51 

Quality 98 

Aspirate 109 

Falsetto 116 

Guttural . . . . 112 

Orotund 106 

Pectoral 114 

Pure 100 

Relaxation, Exercises in ... . 56 

Rhythm 188 

Supine Hand 124 

Time as a Mode of Emphasis 158 

Tone Color 206 

Examples of 207 

Unemphatic Words 167 

Vertical Hand 129 



INDEX TO SELECTIONS 

Page 

Selections 217 

A Night in June, M. F. Egan 217 

Speech before the Virginia Convention, . .Pat. Henry 218 

Rienzi's Address to the Men of Rome, . . Mitford 220 

A Death, Ryan 221 

Marc Antony's Oration, Shakespeare 223 

Break, break, break, Tennyson 225 

The Church (Part I. & II.), Macaulay 226 

Soggarth Aroon, Banim 228 

Spartacus to the Gladiators, E. Kellogg 229 

My Beads, Ryan 231 

Before Vicksburg, Anon 232 

Quarrel Scene from Julius Caesar, Shakespeare 233 

At Last, Ryan 237 

Regulus to the Roman Senate, Anon 238 

Erin's Flag, Ryan 240 

Marc Antony's Apostrophe to Caesar's Body, Shakespeare 242 

The Sword of Robert Lee, Ryan 243 

William Tell on the Alps, Knowles 244 

The Surrender of Calais, Mrs. Embury 246 

Enoch Arden, Tennyson 248 

A Legend, Ryan 250 

Marco Bozzaris, Halleck 252 

The Battle Storm, Shakespeare 252 

Character of Napoleon Bonaparte, Phillips 253 

Homeless, A. A. Procter 255 



Page 

Hotspur's Death, Shakespeare 256 

The Gheber's Glen, Moore 259 

Cassius Inciting Brutus to Conspiracy, . . Shakespeare 260 

Wolsey's Advice to Cromwell, Shakespeare 264 

The Drunkard's Death, Rev. A. Young, C.S.P. . . 267 

Scene from Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare . 269 

The Condition of Ireland, T. F. Meagher 270 

Gualbert's Victory, E. C. Donnelly 271 

William Shakespeare, M. F. Egan 273 

Arnold Winkelried, Montgomery 274 

Cato's Soliloquy on Immortality, Addison 275 

The Famine, Longfellow 276 

Sempronius' Speech of War, Addison 281 

The Demon of the Fire, E. A. Foe 281 

Portia's Plea for Mercy, Shakespeare 284 

Toussaint L'Ouverture, W. Phillips 284 

Scene in a Madhouse, . . Lewis 287 

Bxcelsior, Longfellow 289 

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address 290 

The Passing of the Rubicon, Knowles 291 

Ivry, Macaulay 292 

The Battle of Warsaw, Campbell 294 

Horatius, Macaulay 295 

The Priest's Leap, Sullivan 302 

Bernard Del Carpio, Mrs. Hemans 304 

The Raven, E. A Poe 305 

The Old Surgeon's Story, E. C. Donnelly 308 

Little Jim, A. 0. Briggs 310 

The Convict's Christmas Eve, Carieton 311 



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